by
Joan Trombetti, Writer | March 03, 2009
UCLA Launches
The Institute of
Urologic Oncology
UCLA has launched a first-of-its-kind, patient-centered institute dedicated to developing leading-edge therapies for the treatment of kidney, bladder, testicular and prostate cancers.
The Institute of Urologic Oncology at UCLA challenges the traditional model of academic departments operating independently of each other, bringing a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and physicians together as part of one cohesive organization. Their goal is to expedite the development of new therapies for patients with genitourinary cancers.
Patients also will benefit from the institute's top diagnostic tools, expertise in robotic and minimally-invasive surgery and the combined experience of the experts, who often treat the most complicated urologic cancer cases. In addition, a joint, multi-disciplinary board across all genitourinary specialties will meet at the institute to discuss complicated and challenging tumor cases referred to UCLA.
The Institute will be housed in temporary space until a permanent, state-of-the-art facility can be built.
About 390,000 Americans were diagnosed with kidney, bladder, testicular and prostate cancer last year, resulting in about 56,000 deaths. The Institute's goal is to dramatically lower the death rates for urologic cancers.
