About the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers

Photo courtesy of USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

The mission of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers is to assist its members in:

Advancing the nation’s understanding of the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survival of cancer
Providing innovative cancer therapies and the best possible care to patients
Finding the most efficient and effective ways to deliver care to patients
Disseminating this knowledge to the community at large

"Today new discoveries are rapidly being translated into clinical advances. Dedicated Cancer Centers are providing critical leadership in changing how we think about and treat cancer. That excellence arises from their singular focus on advancing research and treatment for these diseases."

Richard Fischer, MD, Director, Fox Chase Cancer Center

Patient care

Photo courtesy of MD Anderson Cancer Center

We envision a world where all patients have access to the best possible care for their cancer, which is why we are committed to sharing our knowledge with other oncology providers and treatment centers around the nation and worldwide.

We focus on innovations that allow patients to meet their treatment goals in the best setting for their personalized treatment with a team of care givers who can best relieve their suffering. We are dedicated to achieving our patients’ goals through innovation, including moving inpatient surgeries to less invasive, quicker recoveries in the outpatient setting.

Research and new treatment discovery efforts

The Dedicated Cancer Centers have paved the way for the discovery of the majority of recent breakthroughs in oncology research and therapeutic development. Much of what we know about the genetic and biological drivers of cancer was uncovered by the physician-researchers at our member institutions.

Our clinical trials and next generation therapies are poised to change the face of cancer treatment. This includes harnessing the power of the immune system to fight and cure cancer, and developing new treatments aimed at reducing cancer risks and preventing cancer all together.

Photo courtesy of MD Anderson Cancer Center

Quality and outcomes data

We are leading the medical field in developing new and meaningful quality and patient related outcomes measurements for cancer. New measures focused on meaningful outcomes for our patients promote efficiency and cost effectiveness in cancer care. Patients face many difficult decisions when deciding where to seek treatment. We believe our patients deserve meaningful quality data to inform their choices. To that end, we focus our measurement development initiatives on patient outcomes and recently on patient reported outcomes. As an expert in cancer quality measurement, we collaborate with key stakeholders in this area such as the National Quality Forum (NQF), CMS, PBGH (Pacific Business Group on Health) and others.

Efficiency

Our member institutions provide the highest quality of care in the most cost-efficient manner. We have led the way in using molecular diagnostics to uncover the drivers of each person’s cancer, empowering us to choose the safest, most effective, and efficient treatment approaches that stand the best chance of benefitting the patient.

Our patients have significantly higher survival rates at the same total cost of care as patients treated by other providers who achieve lower survival rates. After five years of treatment, patients treated at our member institutions have survival rates that are 16% higher than those treated at community medical centers and 8% better than those treated at academic centers.

Cancer Outcomes for Medicare: Five Year Survival