The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center has received a five-year designation from the federal National Cancer Institute (NCI). The UH Cancer Center, which has maintained its NCI designation since 1996, received its best score in a decade, and is classified by the NCI as an “outstanding” cancer center.
The five year designation places the UH Cancer Center in the top 4% of all cancer centers in the U.S., and recognizes its high-quality, impactful work in the global fight against cancer. It is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
“Receiving the maximum designation and our best score in 10 years validates the critical work our faculty researchers are doing at the UH Cancer Center to save lives in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific,” said Naoto T. Ueno, director of the UH Cancer Center and a two-time cancer survivor. “This recognition affirms not only our groundbreaking research into cancer’s causes, prevention and treatments, but also our unique focus on serving underrepresented communities in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, who often face significant disparities in cancer risk, patient care and health outcomes.”
Stringent evaluation, elite designation
Only 72 cancer centers are recognized by NCI, a federal government agency that recognizes U.S. cancer centers working to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer through transdisciplinary, state-of-the-art research. To earn the designation, the UH Cancer Center undergoes stringent and constant evaluation.
“In our latest evaluation we were recognized for making significant advances particularly in cancer biology and population sciences,” Ueno said. “The five-year renewal recognizes the depth and breadth of our research, and our center’s impact on the cancer field.”
The NCI designation comes with an $11 million cancer center support grant by NCI to help fund further research for five years.
Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green added: “This NCI designation not only recognizes the outstanding work that the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is doing in expanding and improving cancer research and patient care for residents of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, but it also enables federal support, including eligibility for vital research grants. The UH Cancer Center currently draws over $57 million annually in federal research funds and contributes to an even larger economic impact for Hawaiʻi. The UH Cancer Center requires and deserves support from all sectors of the community to continue its crucial work.”
Hoʻōla clinical research center
The NCI designation is essential for the completion and opening of Hoʻōla, the early-phase clinical research center set to launch at the UH Cancer Center in late 2025.
“The center has been serving the people of Hawaiʻi for decades now and we are so excited about Hoʻōla and the impact it will have on our state,” said Michael S. Bruno, Provost at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “For the first time, cancer patients in Hawaiʻi will have access to Phase 1 clinical trial treatments, eliminating the need for costly trips to the continent for cutting-edge treatment. Patients will be able to receive the most advanced cancer care while remaining close to their families and support systems, an invaluable asset in their healing process.”
With more than 7,000 cancer diagnoses reported in Hawaiʻi each year, the UH Cancer Center is a vital institution that is working to save lives, provide hope to cancer patients and their families, and contribute to the well-being of the entire community. Other UH Cancer Center initiatives include:
- The UH Cancer Center conducts the most ethnically diverse lifestyle and cancer prevention study in the world. It includes men and women primarily of five ethnic groups (Caucasians, Japanese Americans, Native Hawaiians, African Americans and Latinos). The Multiethnic Cohort study is conducted in conjunction with the University of Southern California and involves 215,000 Hawaiʻi and Los Angeles residents.
- The Hawaii Pacific Island Mammography Registry (HIPIMR) plays a crucial role in advancing breast cancer research and early detection across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands by collecting comprehensive data on mammography screenings, helping to improve personalized care and reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes within these diverse populations.
- The National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) has awarded an $8 million, six-year grant to the UH Cancer Center. This grant aims to increase access to clinical trials for underrepresented groups such as Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Asians. The program also supports clinical oncology research and cancer care delivery in collaboration with various hospitals and private practices in Hawaiʻi.
- UH Cancer Center researchers study plants and other natural resources native to Hawaiʻi to see if there are natural compounds that can be used to treat cancers. For example, UH Cancer Center researchers discovered that the ironweed plant found mostly on Hawaiʻi Island may help fight aggressive types of breast and brain cancers.
- Seminal advances about genes that cause cancer syndromes, such as BAP1, and genes that drive metastases, such as RSK2, have been made by UH Cancer Center researchers.
- The UH Cancer Center’s Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry has provided incidence and survival data on all cases of cancer in Hawaiʻi since 1973, and is a part of the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.
