Like the Greater Philadelphia region itself, Fox Chase Cancer Center has a long and impressive history. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as the American Oncological Hospital, Fox Chase was the nation's first cancer hospital. In 1974 it merged with the Institute for Cancer Research and became one of the first institutions to be named a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center.
As a Comprehensive Cancer Center, Fox Chase is one of 39 such organizations in the United States. The designation is based on outstanding laboratory and clinical facilities, as well as superior behavioral and population-based research. Besides treating patients, comprehensive cancer centers recruit subjects for early-phase clinical trials, offer outreach programs, and provide information to healthcare professionals and the public.
"Fox Chase has as its mission superb patient care, as well as a commitment to clinical trials that will advance our understanding of how best to treat cancer," says Louis Weiner, chair of the department of medical oncology and vice president of translational research. "Fox Chase delivers, to the Philadelphia region and beyond, capacities for superior patient care, clinical research, translational research, population-based research, and basic research related to cancer."
Fox Chase has grown steadily over the years. Weiner observes that in 1980 the center saw 800 new patients with cancer, and today it sees more than 7,000 new patients annually, making it one of the largest providers of cancer care in the country, and a dominant cancer-care provider in the Delaware Valley.
Asked what underlies Fox Chase's success, Weiner says, "Our mission resonates throughout our entire organization. In addition, the folks who work to support our clinical and research activities at the cancer center are happily caught up in the excitement of this noble work that we do."
Weiner is appreciative of Fox Chase's geographic location. "This is a remarkable region that is often underrecognized for its high amount of human talent. There is, in the Greater Philadelphia area, a critical mass of individuals capable of doing outstanding work. There are great institutions that turn out large numbers of qualified graduates and scientists. There are great institutions devoted to medical education, medical research, and medical care. And there are many large pharmaceutical and biotech companies that have chosen to make this region their home, in part because of the availability of high-quality talent in this area."
He is optimistic about the future for the life sciences in the Greater Philadelphia region. "This is a time of great opportunities and great challenges for the life sciences," he says. Nevertheless, "There's a challenge that accompanies living in a time of declining federal support for research." He encourages civic leaders in the Greater Philadelphia area "to add their voices to those of the scientists and physicians who work in this area, to urge the federal government to increase its support of basic investigation rather than decrease it."