The University of Nebraska System has released , focusing on world-leading pancreatic cancer research happening at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Nebraska. A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is especially devastating, as the disease has a five-year survival rate of about 10 percent.
Kelsey Klute, M.D., a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at UNMC, and her team are working to turn the tide.
"The only way we do better for a given patient – and for all patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer – is through clinical trials and looking at novel ways to find this cancer early, to treat it and to improve survival," Dr. Klute says in the podcast.
UNMC’s pancreatic cancer research is supported with state funding by the Legislature and Governor, along with private donations and federal grants. With these resources, the is aggressively pursuing the development and testing of new screening tools and therapies.
"Every patient I take care of is like taking care of my father all over again," says Sunil Hingorani, M.D., Ph.D., an internationally recognized pancreas cancer researcher and clinician who in 2021 was named the inaugural recipient of the Nancy Armitage Pancreas Cancer Presidential Chair and first director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence. Dr. Hingorani lost his father to the disease.
"It’s time to settle the score. It’s also something you have to be willing to say out loud. The goal is to cure pancreatic cancer. That’s the mantra. We now have the space, the resources, the talent and the drive to conquer this disease. Together with the mandate from the public, and philanthropic dedication, now is the time to put an end to this scourge of pancreatic cancer. It’s game on."
Pancreatic cancer is one area of focus at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, where more than 250 faculty members and hundreds of post-doctoral research fellows, lab technicians and Ph.D. students are dedicated to the research and treatment of all forms of cancer. A public-private partnership, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center puts clinical providers in proximity to their research colleagues, with the goal of more effectively translating research to patient care.
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