Leaders from two top-five cancer centers, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, shared with Becker's the changes they want to see in cancer care.

Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is publishing an open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal. Advances in Cancer Education & Quality Improvement will share research and insights with the aim of improving cancer care and patient outcomes. 

Here are hospitals and health systems opening and expanding cancer centers in 2024:

Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine has named Hidayatullah Munshi, MD, chief of the hematology and oncology division in the Department of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine. 

Surgeons at Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine have performed a double-lung transplant for a patient with stage 4 colorectal cancer through its double-lung replacement and multidisciplinary care program, a first-of-its-kind initiative reserved for patients whose cancers do not respond to standard treatments. 

As part of a $260 million investment, Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health has entered a 10-year partnership with Siemens Healthineers affiliate Varian to advance oncology services in the health system.

In the U.S., care deserts exist across specialties and geographic areas. Represented in a variety of ways, cancer care deserts arise when patients are unable to access appropriate treatments, screenings and clinical trials. 

Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Health has broken ground on the Dean and Barbara White Cancer Center.

Cancer researchers at the New York City-based Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine have developed a new AI tool aimed at improving prostate cancer diagnosis and care.

Los Angeles-based UCLA Health has amassed the largest collection of sarcoma patient-derived tumor organoids to date, allowing researchers to study and replicate tumor response to drug therapies, according to a study published Sept. 20 in Cell Stem Cell.

Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Cancer Institute has joined Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Cancer's Certificate in Community Outreach and Engagement program alongside select cancer centers across the U.S.

The Oregon Nurses Association recently said it is "hopeful" a new cancer center in Redmond will be adequately staffed; the union previously expressed reservations in that regard. The facility is part of Bend, Ore.-based St. Charles Health System.

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries used what amounted to $8,718 less in resources than traditional Medicare beneficiaries within six months of beginning chemotherapy treatment, according to a study published Sept. 20 in JAMA Network Open. 

Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine will establish the Weiser Family Center for Breast Cancer after receiving a $25 million gift from the Weiser Charitable Foundation.

Infections account for an estimated 13% of all cancer cases globally, the American Association for Cancer Research found, but more work is needed to help patients prevent these infections, The New York Times reported Sept. 18.

Cancer survivors with overweight and obesity showed a 13.9% increased risk of developing a second cancer and a 33.2% increased risk of developing a second cancer related to obesity, according to a study published Sept. 17 in JAMA Open Network. 

Forty percent of all cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors, though there has been a 33% decline in the cancer death rate between 1991 and 2021, according to the American Association for Cancer Research's annual Cancer Progress Report. 

Cancer cases in adults under 50 have been rising in recent years, and alcohol consumption may be one factor contributing to the rise, The New York Times reported Sept. 18.

Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope has received a $150 million gift to fund pancreatic cancer research, the single largest gift in the health system's history, from philanthropists A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and Tessa Stephenson Brand.

As pharmaceutical innovation for oncology care continues to grow, here are four updates to know: