As a leader in the prevention and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, the Hutchinson Center is uniquely suited to address this problem. By working in a country where infection-related cancers are common, our researchers and colleagues at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) are accelerating new prevention and treatment breakthroughs.
The two institutions formed an innovative collaboration—the UCI/Hutchinson Center Cancer Alliance—designed to make substantial inroads against infection-related cancers. The collaborators broke ground this year on an integrated research, training and treatment facility—the first comprehensive cancer center jointly constructed by U.S. and African cancer institutions.
“The UCI/Hutchinson Center Cancer Alliance is a personification of the African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,’” Dr. Larry Corey, Hutchinson Center president and director, said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Cancer is a disease that requires us both scientifically and medically to go far and, hence, requires us to walk together.”
“Through this collaboration, we hope to develop new, low-cost prevention and treatment strategies that will not only stem the rising burden of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa but will benefit millions of people worldwide,” he said.
The program will increase patient access to diagnostic technology and research-based treatment while furthering study on the links between infectious diseases like HIV and Epstein-Barr virus and cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma and Burkitt lymphoma.
Viral and bacterial infections are contributing factors in:
- Lymphoma
- Sarcoma
- Stomach cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Liver cancer
- Bladder cancer
