MD Anderson Launches 'Cancer Moon Shot' in Ending Eight Cancers

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, one of the top cancer centers in the world, has announced that they are aiming their research sights on eight cancers, intending to put as much as $3 billion towards finding cures in a decade's time. It's an ambitious plan known as the Moon Shots Program, the inspiration of which was found in President John F. Kennedy's speech to put a man on the moon, a version of which he delivered just down the block from MD Anderson at Rice University in 1962.

"We have many of the tools we need to pick the fight of the 21st century," said MD Anderson president Dr. Ronald DePinto.

Currently, MD Anderson sees about 112,000 cancer patients each year. In the process, they have created an enormous database featuring numerous tumor samples that they will use towards finding more and more effective treatments for eight different cancers.

Three of the cancers in their scope are blood diseases. They are:

• Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The remaining cancers MD Anderson will be putting so much of their resources into over the next decade are:

• Triple-negative breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Lung cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Melanoma

"The nation’s No. 1 hospital for cancer care, with its unparalleled resources and capabilities, is uniquely positioned to accelerate the end of cancer. It's closer than you think. What's learned from these initial cancer 'moon shots' will ultimately lead to cures for all types of the disease," says the hospital's web site.

Source: MD Anderson