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NCI Cancer Bulletin: A Trusted Source for Cancer Research NewsNCI Cancer Bulletin: A Trusted Source for Cancer Research News
March 4, 2008 • Volume 5 / Number 5 E-Mail This Document  |  Download PDF  |  Bulletin Archive/Search  |  Subscribe

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Cancer Center ProfileCancer Center Profile

Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Director: Dr. Louis M. Weiner • Research Building, Suite E501, 3970 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057 • Phone: 202-697-2110 • Web site: http://lombardi.georgetown.edu/

Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Background
Established in 1970, the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is named in honor of legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, who was treated for cancer at Georgetown University Hospital. What began as a small clinic treating cancer patients is now a state-of-the-art cancer center housing more than 240,000 square feet of clinic and research space. As Lombardi has grown, its mission has remained constant - to provide the most advanced treatments available, to train future cancer specialists, and to cure cancer in its many forms.

Lombardi was first designated as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974 in conjunction with Howard University, and the designation was renewed for Lombardi as a single-site center in 1990. It remains the only comprehensive cancer center in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. It receives $97 million in grant funding, has nearly 200 full-time faculty members, and 220 ongoing clinical trials. Today, Lombardi presses forward under the visionary leadership of its director, Dr. Louis M. Weiner, who was recruited in October 2007.

Research Activities
Lombardi treats virtually every type of cancer. The cancer center boasts six established research programs, including: the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research, ranked sixth in the world for breast cancer publications by ESI Thompson Scientific; Cancer Control; Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology; Growth Regulation of Cancer; Molecular Targets and Developmental Therapeutics; and Radiation Biology and DNA Repair. A developing Pediatric Cancer Research Program brings together faculty from Lombardi and Children's National Medical Center to develop novel therapies for pediatric cancers.

Patient Care Specialties
Lombardi offers a full range of services focused on enhancing the quality of life of its patients and their families, including social work support, nutritional counseling, palliative care and symptom management, support groups, and an arts and humanities program that is considered a leader in its field.

Other Notable Programs
Lombardi is expanding its community outreach. In 2006, Lombardi helped develop the first cancer control plan for the District of Columbia, which has the highest incidence of cancer in the United States. Lombardi's Capital Breast Care Center provides free mammograms to underserved women in the Washington area. And, in 2000, Georgetown University formed a partnership with MedStar Health, one of the largest not-for-profit networks in the mid-Atlantic region, giving patients throughout the region expanded access to cancer care and clinical trials from Lombardi.

Education and training at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center spans all levels of learning. The cancer center has four master's programs (in biostatistics, health physics, tumor biology, and a joint program in cancer genetics, epidemiology, and control), as well as a Ph.D. and combined M.D./Ph.D. program in tumor biology. Additionally, three postdoctoral training programs are offered at Lombardi: a medical genetics fellowship, clinical fellowships in hematology/oncology and palliative care, and research fellowships in tumor biology.