Two UT institutions take “quantum leap” for cancer care

SAN ANTONIO—When Chancellor William McRaven announced his “Quantum Leaps” a year ago, he wanted UT institutions to collaborate like never before in order to make Texas the strongest, smartest and healthiest state possible.

The UT Health Science Center San Antonio and UT MD Anderson Cancer Center have risen to the challenge.

The two institutions today announced they will collaborate to provide the most advanced cancer care available to people living in the San Antonio region. Through this affiliation, the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) of the UT Health Science Center will collaborate as part of MD Anderson’s international network of hospitals and health care systems dedicated to ending cancer globally. The affiliation  will create a comprehensive and clinically integrated cancer care program in San Antonio beginning in mid-2017.

It’s a prime example of how the capabilities of individual institutions can be leveraged to better serve the people of Texas, McRaven said.

“MD Anderson is the top-ranked cancer center in America, with unparalleled experience, resources and expertise; the Cancer Therapy and Research Center has earned a reputation for providing outstanding, compassionate care to San Antonians afflicted by this awful disease,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine a tougher challenge, with higher stakes, than the fight against cancer. But it’s just as hard to imagine a more potent combination to join forces in that fight than UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Health Science Center San Antonio.”

The affiliation will provide increased access to MD Anderson’s treatment protocols, standards of care, extensive clinical trials and translational research in San Antonio. Patients also will have access to the MD Anderson model of patient-centered, comprehensive care provided by multidisciplinary teams that will provide a new dimension in innovative care and treatment options. Through joint tumor boards, MD Anderson physicians will provide additional multidisciplinary opinions for diagnosis and treatment.

“The greatest benefit of the partnership will be to cancer patients in San Antonio, many of whom travel to Houston for treatment at considerable personal time and expense,” said Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice chancellor for health affairs. “In the future, many of these patients will be able to get the same advanced care that they would get in Houston much closer to home.”

The affiliation is a win for both institutions, Greenberg said.

“For the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, the partnership with MD Anderson expands the range of treatments available to their patients, enhances consultative relationships with colleagues in Houston, and will help them grow the range of services that they can provide,” he said. “MD Anderson benefits by making their knowledge and expertise more accessible to the people of Texas – many of whom cannot come to Houston – by expanding the number of patients who can be enrolled in research studies, and by enhancing their experience working in collaborative relationships.”

For more information about the affiliation, read the joint news release from UT Health Science Center San Antonio and MD Anderson.

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and an enrollment of more than 221,000, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates almost two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System’s operating budget for FY 2017 is $17.9 billion, including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With more than 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and many members of the National Academies – and nearly 80,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.