Leadership Messages — Terry R. Peets
Guided by a commitment to compassionate care
The patient-centered philosophy of City of Hope has always defined the institution. This commitment to treating the whole person was first documented decades ago by Samuel H. Golter, one of the institution’s early leaders. His phrase, “There is no profit in curing the body if, in the process, we destroy the soul,” has served as a touchstone for those who have helped shape City of Hope’s future.
City of Hope’s strategic plan, which outlines the institution’s course through our 100th anniversary in 2013, reflects this rich tradition of compassion. And it is compassion that drives our commitment to innovation in research and clinical care, and our sense of urgency in finding cures.
An example of this philosophy put into practice is the Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center. This unique center brings together faculty, staff and volunteers from a variety of disciplines to help patients and their families cope with cancer diagnosis and treatment. The $2 million gift from the Billers to establish the Center epitomizes the profound commitment that generations of families have made to ensure that City of Hope will continue its legacy of compassion paired with innovative science.
All of us who now support City of Hope have a duty to acknowledge and respect the storied history and tradition established by the thousands of volunteers who have come before us. Their ideals and contributions have established a vital framework within which we will build our future. Such foresight has helped the institution evolve into the world-renowned comprehensive cancer center and biomedical research institute it is today.
As you support and advocate on behalf of City of Hope, I hope you keep this noble legacy in mind. It’s one of the defining characteristics that make City of Hope such a special place.
Terry R. Peets
Chair, City of Hope Board of Directors
Leadership Messages — Michael A Friedman
Delving into the inner workings of cancer
In 2001, TIME magazine hailed it on its cover as a magic bullet to cure cancer. The small orange pill called Gleevec, which had just come on the market, brought newfound hope to many patients with chronic leukemia, and the years after, similar “smart drugs” followed suit.
These drugs, part of a growing arsenal of targeted therapies, represent an important direction. Still, they are not yet a fully realized magic bullet. Too often, cancer flourishes in its complicated nature. It find ways around chemotherapy; it might hide and return after radiation therapy or surgery. It evolves, and its genetic abnormalities are the very tools it uses to survive.
That is why the breadth of investigations under way by City of Hope researchers is so encouraging. Basic scientists hunt down the mechanisms that make cancer tick — the inner workings that allow cancer cells to resist treatments. Researchers translate those discoveries into potential new therapies, bringing smarter strategies one step closer to patients every day.
In this issue of City News, scientists and physicians describe a new line of cancer therapies from a field called epigenetics. Researchers are using strategies based on epigenetics to enter into the cancer fight through a different door.
Some of these new drugs target genes that should be helping to fight cancer, if only they were not mistakenly hidden away. The drugs reactivate these genes so they can battle cancer again, alongside other therapies.
These drugs add to an expanding cancer-fighting menu that includes targeted drugs, new radiotherapy tools, immunotherapy and more. Cancer may be more complicated, but City of Hope researchers believe their strategies will bring solutions for cancer — perhaps finding no magic bullet for all cancer patients, but rather, the right ingredients for each patient’s personal cancer fight.
Michael A. Friedman, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
