History

Roswell Park Cancer Institute is among the oldest National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Below is a timeline of some of RPCI's major contributions:

1897-1950s

In 1897, Dr. Roswell Park and Mr. Edward H. Butler, publisher of the Buffalo Evening News, ask the New York State Legislature to introduce a bill that would provide a $7,500 grant to establish a cancer research laboratory in the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. That bill was passed in 1898, and the New York State Pathological Laboratory of the University of Buffalo – the first facility in the world dedicated specifically to cancer research – was founded. The facility, which gave birth to what would later be known as Roswell Park Cancer Institute, has been cited as the earliest historical example of direct government interest in cancer research.

In 1904, the first scientific observations implicating immunological reactions with malignancy are reported by Drs. Harvey R. Gaylord, George H.A. Clowes and F.W. Baeslack.

In 1904, Dr. G.H.A. Clowes, driven by the fact that his son had leukemia, initiates the first cancer chemotherapy program in the United States.

From 1922 to 1931, Drs. Carl and Gerty Cori serve on the staff of Roswell Park Cancer Institute. In 1947, they are awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology for work which was initiated during their tenure at RPCI.

In 1946, Dr. Joseph G. Hoffman, who had worked on the Manhattan Project, becomes one of the first in the world to study the effects of atomic radiation on humans.

1950s

In the 1950s, Drs. James Elam and Elwyn S. Brown's work in mechanical ventilation and artificial respiration revolutionize the field of anesthesiology. They also first describe the use of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In 1954, Dr. David Pressman pioneers the first studies on the use of radiolabeled antibodies in the localization of tumors; and gains worldwide recognition for his research on the structural characterization of antibodies and the application of antibodies to define surface antigens, including those found on neoplastic cells.

In 1956, Dr. Donald Pinkel establishes the Department of Pediatrics and pioneers the first multi-institutional group (Acute Leukemia Group B) for the study of cancer treatment.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, two important tissue culture media are developed at Roswell Park Cancer Institute which have enormous impact on biological and pharmacological cell research. Dr. George Moore, the fifth Institute director, and colleagues develop RPMI 1640. Dr. Maire Hakala provides the basis for the HAT (Hypoxanthine, Aminopterin and Thymidine) medium which has been essential to modern studies in molecular biology and the hybridoma technology for monoclonal antibody production.

1960s

In 1960, Dr. Enrico Mihich and his associates first demonstrate that certain anticancer drugs cooperate with immunological defenses of the host to attain antitumor curative effects.

In 1964, one of the nation's first three voluntary Plasmapheresis Donor Centers for platelet collection is established by Dr. Elias Cohen.

In 1965, the Center for Crystallographic Research opens to study the arrangements of atoms in substances. This Center was the first and only one of its kind in the United States.

1967 was a busy year:

• Dr. David Harker and his staff are the first to determine the intricate molecular structure of the enzyme ribonuclease. This achievement led to the production of synthetic enzymes in laboratories across the country.
• Dr. Vahram Bakamjian develops the deltopectoral, or Bakamjian, flap to reconstruct head and neck areas following disfiguring cancer surgery. Today, the Bakamjian flap is used worldwide and is still considered the state of the art in reconstructive surgery.
• Roswell Park Cancer Institute becomes the site of the Regional Center for Maxillofacial Prosthetics, one of only nine such centers in the United States. Prostheses, artificial devices used to replace missing parts of the body, are custom-designed to help rehabilitate cancer and trauma patients with head and neck defects or injuries.

1970s

On October 11, 1971, RPCI hosted an US House of Representatives hearing on the National Cancer Institute act. The National Cancer Act was signed by President Nixon on December 23, 1971.

In 1972, Photodynamic Therapy, a laser/chemical treatment, is pioneered by Dr. Thomas J. Dougherty. PDT is used worldwide – as an investigational therapy – to treat cancers of the skin, breast, lung, bladder, esophagus, and head and neck.

Also in 1972, Cyril T. Garvey, whose 13-year-old son Kevin died of cancer, purchases a house one block away from Roswell Park Cancer Institute to provide low-cost housing to the Institute's patients and their families. The Kevin Guest House is the oldest hospitality house in the United States and the prototype for the Ronald McDonald Houses across the country.

In 1973, the James T. Grace, Jr. Cancer Drug Center opens. This facility was and continues to be one of the only academic centers in the United States which has the capability of taking drug development from its conceptual stage in the chemistry laboratory through testing of the compound in clinical trials.

Dr. Edmund Klein, former chief of the Dermatology Department, develops the protocol for the application of a highly effective topical anticancer agent, 5-FU, for skin cancer.

In 1975, Drs. Lucius Sinks and Arnold Freeman, of the Pediatrics Department, are the first to use high doses of the drug methotrexate to treat pediatric tumors. This treatment has been credited as one of only a handful of treatments which significantly reversed the "death sentence" associated with childhood cancer.

In the late-1970s, Dr. T. Ming Chu and his associates characterize a human prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Through the transfer of the patented technology, this marker – the most effective parameter in the management of prostate cancer – is now widely used in the United States and abroad.

1980s

In 1980, Dr. Maire Hakala, pioneers the drug combination 5-FU and leucovorin. Later, clinical trials with this chemotherapy indicate a significant improvement in the response rate of patients with colorectal carcinomas – from 15% to 45%.

In 1985, Roswell Park participates in national studies which demonstrate that human beta interferon treatment significantly reduces the frequency and severity of exacerbations of multiple sclerosis.

In 1986, Institute researchers play an instrumental role in locating the genetic defect for familial adenomatous polyposis – a pre-malignant condition leading to colorectal cancer. Future studies in this area could lead to the development of a blood test which would identify individuals at risk for colorectal cancer.

In 1987, a Pediatric Long-term Follow-up Clinic, one of the first of its kind in the nation, is created by Dr. Daniel Green.

In 1988, with the recruitment of Dr. Carleton C. Stewart, a noted immunologist from Los Alamos National Laboratory and one of the world's authorities on flow cytometry, Roswell Park becomes one of the leading centers in the use of this highly sophisticated, highly sensitive diagnostic tool.

Dr. K. Michael Cummings, director of the Smoking Control Program and an internationally recognized expert on cancer and smoking, serves as a contributor to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Smoking from 1988.

1990-1997

Roswell Park is among the first three cancer centers approved by the National Cancer Advisory Board for status as a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center under a new peer review system and guidelines established in 1990. Roswell Park, Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and Yale University Comprehensive Cancer Center were recommended for this designation.

In 1991, a human tissue repository for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunologic Research – the only one of its kind in eastern United States – was dedicated at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The Center, made possible by a gift from the Baird Foundation, is dedicated to the late William C. Baird, a Buffalo industrialist and philanthropist.

In 1991, Institute dermatologists begin using photopheresis to treat cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL), an extremely debilitating and potentially fatal malignancy of the white blood cells. Roswell Park was one of the few facilities to offer this safe, effective procedure, which now has the seal of approval from the USFDA as the standard form of therapy for the advanced form of CTCL.

Dr. Hector Nava, of the Division of Surgery, is the first clinician to publish work demonstrating the importance of total colonoscopy in patients with colorectal cancer.

The Department of Radiation Therapy initiates the first programs in radiosurgery and high-dose brachtherapy in Western New York.

Roswell Park's Department of Neurology is commissioned by the Upstate New York Transplant Services (UNYTS) to perform a highly sensitive, rapid test for the presence of HIV, the AIDS virus, on all potential tissue and organ donors. The addition of this test – called polymerase chain reaction – makes UNYTS the first such service in New York State to implement such a protocol.

In 1992, The Major Modernization of Roswell Park becomes the largest health-related project approved by New York State and was the only health-related project approved for the State's fiscal year. Governor Mario Cuomo's promise to rebuild the campus through a bond authorization for $303 million became a reality in March, when both the Assembly and Senate voted on the same day to approve the measure.

The New York State legislation, creates the Physician Practice Plan which allows Roswell Park Cancer Institute physicians – for the first time – to charge for services in the same way as physicians in private practice.

In 1993, Roswell's Bone Marrow Transplant Unit is certified by the National Marrow Donor Program as both a Transplant and Collection center. Roswell Park now gains access to more than one million potential donors in the National Registry, and is now able to serve as a regional referral center for harvesting the blood and marrow of donors. Patients who are in need of blood and marrow transplants, but who do not have compatible, related donors, no longer have to leave Western New York for treatment.

In 1994, DNA samples from families registered in the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Registry are used for research on the BRCA1 gene – the gene which has been linked to familial breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Roswell Park hosts its first Cancer Survivor Day Gala Event "The Celebration of Your Life," on October 13, 1994. Over 600 current and former patients attend the event.

In 1995, the United States Food and Drug Administration approves the drug Photofrin – developed by Dr. Thomas Dougherty of Roswell Park – as a palliative treatment for patients with obstructing esophageal cancers. This is the first photodynamic therapy drug to be FDA-approved in the United States. In 1998, the FDA approves the drug as a treatment for early-stage lung cancer.

In 1996, The Center for HIV-Related Malignancies is designated an "AIDS Treatment Center" by the New York State Health Department, making it the first such center in the State to exclusively treat AIDS-related cancers. The designation was conferred after a rigorous application process spanning almost two years.

In 1997, representing an extraordinary collaborative effort of Roswell Park, the Department of Health, the Governor's Office of Employee Relations, union leadership and the Western New York Delegation, new legislation is passed which provides for a public health and research corporation to run Roswell Park (while maintaining civil service protections for its employees).

1998

In February, the Regional Cancer Center Consortium for Biological Therapy of Cancer holds its first meeting at RPCI, to present new basic science and clinical research information related to tumor immunology and the use of biological therapies in the treatment of cancer patients.

In April, Researchers from RPCI are part of an international group studying the long-term health effects caused by the destruction of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, April 26, 1986, which exposed thousands to radiation and contaminated farmlands in the Ukraine and Belarus.

RPCI installs the Xillix LIFE-Laser Induced Fluorescence Endoscopy System to enable physicians to detect premalignant and intraepithelial (preinvasive) neoplastic lesions in the lung and initiate appropriate curative treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or in many cases, photodynamic therapy.

New York State Governor George E. Pataki dedicates the new Diagnostic and Treatment Center and 133-Bed Inpatient Tower, centerpiece of the $241.5 million RPCI’s Major Modernization Project, the largest health-related project ever undertaken by New York State. On June 15, the Center opens; and on June 22, the ribbon is cut celebrating the completion of the walkway linking RPCI to its neighbor Buffalo General Hospital.

RPCI Announces acquisition of the Leksell Gamma Knife, a new high tech tool which allows previously inoperable or inaccessible brain tumors and vascular malformations to be treated quickly and effectively, without ever opening the skull. RPCI is one of 47 facilities in North America to offer this non-invasive brain radiosurgery.

Sponsored by the National Coalition for Cancer Research, THE MARCH takes place on the Mall, in Washington D.C. In September, RPCI takes 150 cancer patients, staff and supporters to THE MARCH, a nationwide grassroots campaign to promote universal access to quality cancer care and increase funding for cancer research.

For the first time in its 100-year history, RPCI hosts The President's Cancer Panel on October 6.

RPCI's Blood Bank receives a perfect score following an inspection by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). According to the inspector, the perfect score was the first he had given in 18 years of blood bank inspection. In addition, the AABB asked permission to publish the RPCI program to use as an exemplary model for other hospitals to implement.

1999

In January 1999, Roswell Park Cancer Institute becomes a public benefit corporation, a distinction that confers the double benefit of administrative autonomy and substantial financial support from New York State.

In April, Researchers from RPCI are part of an international group studying the long-term health effects caused by the destruction of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, April 26, 1986, which exposed thousands to radiation and contaminated farmlands in the Ukraine and Belarus.

RPCI and the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, begin the first human studies to test the safety and immunogenicity of the world’s first potential oral vaccine against the hepatitis B virus. The vaccine was delivered by simply eating potatoes genetically designed to contain the vaccine.

New research led by Gary A. Giovino, PhD, Department of Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology and Biostatistics found that children who are exposed to adverse experiences, such as abuse, domestic violence and household dysfunction, are more likely to start smoking earlier and become heavier smokers as adults.

2000

In 2000, Myron C. Czuczman, MD, Department of Medicine, presents new research on the use of Rituxan (a monoclonal antibody) and Fludarabine (chemotherapy) in patients with advanced stage, indolent B-cell NHL. Dr. Czuzman's participation in the pioneering research on Rituxan led to its becoming the first monoclonal antibody approved by the Food & Drug Administration to treat malignant disease. He then initiated the first chemoimmunotherapy trial using Rituxan and CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, hydrocholoride, vincristine [Oncovin] and prednisone) in patients with NHL.

Cancer screening programs appear to be paying off in New York State, according to the results of an analysis of 24 types of cancer occurring in men and women in New York State between 1975-1994. Andrew Hyland, PhD, and his research team from the Department of Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at RPCI, conducted the study in 2000 to accurately assess the burden of cancer in the Empire State.

RPCI offers an exciting treatment option for patients with inoperable tumors. Radio frequency ablation (RFA), which uses high-energy radio frequency sound waves to "vibrate" tumor cells, was approved by the FDA in June for treatment of cancerous lesions. RPCI is the only facility in Western New York to offer RFA, which may also be used in special cases to treat esophageal, gastrointestinal (including liver), testicular, ovarian, neuroendocrine and breast cancers.

Vertebroplasty—a new treatment for spinal compression fractures due to malignant and benign disease—is being offered in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging under the direction of Ronald A. Alberico, MD, Director of Neuroradiology, and Donald L. Klippenstein, MD, Director of Body Imaging.  Using fluoroscopically guided techniques, bone cement is injected into the vertebral body to prevent further spinal compression and to relieve pain.

The "not so good news" from a recent study conducted at RPCI is that the incidence rates for two forms of common brain tumors—glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and anaplastic astrocytoma (AA)—have increased in New York State between 1976 and 1995. The "good news" is that the study may have revealed clues to the origins of GBM; the most common of these tumors.  The study by Brian P. McKinley, MD, Department of Surgery, and colleagues at RPCI, was published in the December 2000 edition of the Journal of Neurosurgery.

2001

In 2001, Norma Nowak, PhD, director of the DNA Microarray and Genomics Resource at RPCI, collaborates on the landmark studies to complete the human genome sequencing effort.

The Buffalo Niagara Prostate Cancer Consortium (BNPCC) launches. It is a unique partnership to treat men with prostate cancer that includes Radiation Oncologists, community urologists, academic institutions, health care organizations, insurance carriers and UsToo!, an international patient support and advocacy group.

Results of a survey of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among ninth grade students in Erie County schools conducted by RPCI in 2000-01 indicate that the use of drugs, especially alcohol and tobacco, continues but that tobacco use rates declined by nearly 40% since a similar survey in 1996. The use of alcohol and other drugs also decreased or remained stable since the 1996 survey.

RPCI has helped to identify changes in the expression of cell surface proteins during the progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This national study was unique in that cells were analyzed by multi-parameter flow cytometry (MFC) at RPCI. The results have implications for treatment of AML patients.

A trial of the National Wilms Tumor Study Group led by Roswell Park physician Daniel M. Green, MD, Department of Pediatrics, determined that adjuvant therapy may not be needed for children who have favorable histology Wilms tumor.

Research at RPCI has helped to identify changes in the expression of cell surface proteins during the progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This national study was unique in that cells were analyzed by multi-parameter flow cytometry (MFC) at RPCI. The results have implications for treatment of AML patients.

RPCI offers Gleevec (STI-571) as a treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Roswell Park participated in the early studies of Gleevec as a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia.

2002

In 2002, the Summer Research Participation Program – the nation's oldest, continuous summer research program for talented and gifted high school and college juniors – celebrates its 50th anniversary.

A research team at RPCI, led by Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, identified beta 1,4-galactotransferase (b1,4GalT) as a potential biomarker for detecting early recurrence of ovarian cancer after primary therapy.

A team of researchers led by Margot Ip, PhD, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, RPCI, reports that conjugated linoleic acid CLA, a fatty acid found in meat and dairy products, appears to be a non-toxic approach to prevent breast cancer development in animal models.

A novel chemotherapy agent (taxoid IDN-5109), first evaluated at Roswell Park, has been found to be superior to other taxoids (paclitaxel and docetaxel) in treating P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-expressing, multidrug-resistant breast and colon tumor cell lines. Ralph J. Bernacki, PhD, Michael R. Vrendenburg and others from the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics worked on this project.

Data from a study, coordinated by Kirsten Moysich, PhD, Department of Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, RPCI suggest that regular use of acetaminophen, but not aspirin, may be associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer.

A new clinical study at RPCI examines the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of treating patients who have inoperable or recurrent sarcoma (soft tissue cancer), melanoma (a type of skin cancer), breast cancer and ovarian cancer with a combination of low-level whole body hyperthermia (LL-WBH) [increasing the body’s temperature to the fever range] and the chemotherapeutic agent Doxil.   The study also compares the pharmacokinetics (how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes and excretes a drug) of Doxil given alone and in combination with LL-WBH, and evaluates the effects of the combined therapy on the immune system and response rates.

The marketing tactics from the tobacco industry’s corporate sanctum are dissected in Tobacco Control, a journal edited by K. Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, Chair, Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The supplement is devoted to discoveries and disclosures from corporate documents released from the major tobacco companies under an agreement with several state attorneys general. 

2003

In 2003, a team of cancer researchers, including Hiroki Nagase, PhD, Department of Cancer Genetics, identified functional genetic variants of a gene called Aurora2 that may increase susceptibility to cancer development. The results offer an example of a method to identify common genetic variants that increase the likelihood of cancer developing in an individual.

The incidence of childhood thyroid cancer, while rare, has increased up to 200% in children exposed to nuclear fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl accident. RPCI researcher Lesleyann Hawthorn, PhD, is leading an international effort to genetically profile childhood thyroid tumors in search of a genetic link to this increased incidence. RPCI will genetically profile tumor samples from pediatric patients exposed to radiation by scanning their genome for alterations in gene expression patterns. In addition, tumor samples will be scanned for chromosomal abnormalities using novel microarray technologies available at RPCI.

A minimally-invasive surgical technique, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), may prove to be optimal therapy for frail and high-risk lung cancer patients, according to a study by Todd Demmy, MD, Chief of Thoracic Surgery, RPCI. Each year, more than one million surgical chest procedures are performed in the United States for heart and lung diseases and other serious illnesses. With VATS, patients experience less pain, less scarring, shorter hospital stays, and in many cases return to normal activities sooner.

A new study by Stephen B. Edge, MD, Chair of Breast and Soft Tissue Surgery, suggests that surgeons are routinely performing an investigational procedure called sentinel node biopsy on women with early-stage breast cancer, which, the investigators say, may be affecting the generalizability of ongoing trials of the procedure.

Marwan G. Fakih, MD, Department of Medicine, is the principal investigator of two Phase III clinical studies which compares standard chemotherapy with and without the drug, PTK787/ZK 222584, for patients with colorectal cancer. RPCI is one of over 100 centers nationwide and 21 centers around the world participating in the trials.

In August 2003, RPCI announced that the US Food and Drug Administration approved PHOTOFRIN photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of high-grade dysplasia associated with Barrett’s esophagus. Thomas J. Dougherty, PhD, and colleagues at RPCI, developed PHOTOFRIN and PDT and Hector Nava, MD, RPCI, was the first to apply PDT with PHOTOFRIN to patients with this potentially life-threatening disease.The clinical study for the FDA showed that patients receiving PDT were more likely to achieve complete reversal of their pre-cancerous lesions in Barrett's esophagus compared to those who did not receive PDT. Two-year follow-up data indicated that patients had an 80% chance of being cancer-free after PDT, whereas patients who did not receive PDT had a 50% chance of being cancer-free.

Previous cancer treatment in childhood and adolescence does not seem to impact the ability of men to father children and have healthy offspring, according to a study published by lead investigator Daniel M. Green, MD, Department of Pediatrics.

More than 8.6 million Americans currently suffer from one or more serious illnesses due to cigarette smoking, according to a study published recently in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The study, conducted by RPCI researchers provides a national estimate of the number of people who have serious illnesses caused by smoking. The shows that for every death from smoking, there are another 20 people living with at least one serious illness caused by smoking, said Andrew Hyland, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and lead author of the study.

RPCI is now offering an innovative treatment option to select patients with gastrointestinal and other abdominal cancers that have spread to the peritoneum. In some studies, intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion has at least doubled the survival rates in diseases that were previously fatal within one to two years following diagnosis.

African-American men are known to be at greater risk for developing and dying from prostate cancer. A pilot study authored by principal investigator James Mohler, MD, Chair, Department of Urologic Oncology, reports that racial differences in the androgenic stimulation of the prostate could be the reason prostate cancer occurs at a younger age and progresses more rapidly in African than Caucasian Americans

RPCI is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine in patients with ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancers. Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, is the principal investigator of the studies.

Initial data from the Gene Expression Nervous System Atlas (GENSAT) BAC Transgenics Project published recently in Nature are revealing new information about brain development, and providing a rich resource that will allow a broad array of investigations not previously available to the neuroscience community. Norma Nowak, PhD, director of the Microarray and Genomics Facility, RPCI, and director of Scientific Planning for the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics, University at Buffalo collaborated with researchers from around the United States on this large-scale effort to identify gene-expression profiles of individual neurons in genetically-engineered mice and create a demographic atlas of the brain.

RPCI is offering an innovative treatment option for patients with inoperable liver tumors. Radio frequency ablation (RFA) uses high-energy radio frequency sound waves to “vibrate” tumor cells. The alternating current of radiofrequency heats and destroys tumors in the liver. This technology has a low complication rate, does not require major surgery and is considered quite safe.

2004

In February 2004, The Department of Radiation Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute was approved by the Radiological Physics Center (RPC) to offer Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) to patients enrolled in cooperative clinical trials. IMRT is a form of three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy that links treatment planning and software to treatment delivery devices. High doses of radiation can be delivered to cancer tumors while substantially reducing the risk to surrounding tissues. These increased radiation doses give clinicians a much greater chance of completely eliminating the tumor.

Dr. Michael Wong began to use high doses of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) to treat patients with metastatic melanoma and kidney cancer. High-dose IL-2 is the only therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the first therapy approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma in 20 years as well and the only immunotherapy for these diseases.

Encouraged by preclinical studies showing the ability of the selenium compound, se-(methyl)selenocysteine (MSC), to stimulate the antitumor activity of Irinotecan and protect against drug-induced toxicity, Roswell Park initiated clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of regimens combining various chemotherapeutic agents with selenium compounds. Youcef Rustum, PhD, Senior Vice President for Science Administration reported the findings of their preclinical studies at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans, LA.

Roswell Park researchers, Chulee Yompakdee, PhD, and Joel A. Huberman, PhD, Department of Cancer Genetics, were honored for having the Paper of the Week for their article, Enforcement of Late Replication Origin Firing by Clusters of Short G-rich DNA Sequences that was published in the October 1, 2004 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The authors reported on their examination of mechanisms that control DNA replication timing. Drs. Yompakdee and Huberman discovered that certain late-replicating regions of the DNA are rich in the DNA subunit, G and that removing the G rich subunit from the late-replicating region could convert it to an early-replicating region and vice versa. Replication timing may be important for preventing cancer.  Also, in the same issue, Drs. Rajinder S. Sawhney and Michael G. Brattain, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics suggest that autocrine Transforming Growth Factor alpha (TGF-alpha) regulates the enzyme p70S6 kinase (S6K) and thus cellular motility and adhesion in human colon cancer cells. Activation of S6K has been linked in previous studies to cancer.

In December 2004, Roswell Park became the first facility in the Buffalo-Niagara region to offer state-of-the-art robotic surgical technology to patients with prostate cancer. James Mohler, MD, Chair of the Department of Urologic Oncology, RPCI, launched the use of the $1.35 million da Vinci® Surgical System. This robotic system enables surgeons to see vital anatomical structures more clearly and perform surgical procedures more precisely. The technology provide a 3-D view of the operating field, eliminates large incisions and gives surgeons the ability to rotate instruments 360 degrees.

2005

RPCI is ranked 13th among the nation's 118 independent academic hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in fiscal year 2005.

RPCI opened a newly constructed state-of-the-art Minimally Invasive Surgery Center to bring the next generation of surgery to cancer patients and provide educational opportunities to physicians and nurses. By November, the Center had treated its 100th patient with a radical prostatectomy using the da Vinci® Surgical Robotic System.

The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry, established in 1981 to track families who have included at least two first degree relatives diagnosed with ovarian cancer, celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Cayuga Medical Center and RPCI announced an affiliation in 2005 to bring state-of-the-art radiation therapy services to the Finger Lakes Region.

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons granted approval to the cancer program at RPCI in recognition of “the excellence of the Roswell Park faculty and staff.”

RPCI, and the rest of the world, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the PSA test, developed at Roswell Park in the lab of Dr. T. Ming Chu.

2006

Creation of a life-sciences industry and economy for Buffalo Niagara took a historic step forward, Friday, June 2, 2006, with the grand opening of the University at Buffalo’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Science and Roswell Park’s Center for Genetics and Pharmacology.

RPCI is the first facility in Buffalo and among the first centers in the country to offer state-of-the-art robotic-assisted surgery to patients with bladder cancer. The pioneering technique offers these patients a less invasive treatment option that has several potential advantages over traditional open surgery.

As of 2006, more than 1,000 patients had undergone Blood and Marrow Transplantations (BMT) for treatment of cancer and blood disorders at RPCI since 1991. BMT patients and their families and the BMT Team at Roswell Park celebrated this milestone at a reception.

In its continued push to recruit nationally recognized oncologists, two important additions to RPCI faculty were announced in October: Kelvin P. Lee, MD, an outstanding national leader in medical oncology research, was appointed Chair of the Department of Immunology and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at RPCI and Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, a national leader in translational research, was appointed Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Chair of the Department of Medicine.

Officials from Bradford Regional Medical Center and RPCI signed a regional affiliation network agreement to enhance oncology and hematology programs through research, education, and patient care in the Northwestern Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York.

The first components of a fully integrated electronic health record system "went live" at RPCI, beginning a process that significantly improved the way the Institute manages patient records.

RPCI launched an international effort to potentially revolutionize the prevention, detection and treatment of lung cancer by establishing the Stacey Scott Lung Cancer Registry. Joining lung cancer experts representing 11 leading research institutions, the registry is organized and stored at Roswell Park and combs member institute’s research data to help scientists understand how lung cancer develops and evolves.

RPCI opened the Amherst Center at 100 College Park, between Main Street and Wehrle Drive in Williamsville, NY, to help meet the increasing demand for chemotherapy and infusion services and to help meet the needs of cancer patients in Upstate New York.

Waldemar Kaminski, a self-made millionaire and former Broadway Market vendor known as Mr. K, defined the essence of selfless giving by anonymously donating thousands to positively impact the lives of Western New Yorkers.  RPCI’s WJK Park and Gardens was renamed Kaminski Park and Gardens.

2007

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) renewed RPCI’s Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) for five years. A significant achievement, America's first cancer center also garnered its best overall CCSG score in its history.

The new $3 million Trilogy™ System installed in the Department of Radiation Medicine significantly increased the treatment options available to cancer patients in the Buffalo-Niagara region. This fully integrated powerful image-guided radiation therapy technology delivers with unmatched precision high-dose radiation therapy to tumors.

RPCI made major gains in 2007 in Technology Transfer and Commercialization by establishing three new businesses: PersonaDX, AndroBioSys and Empire Genomics based on the work of RPCI researchers and clinicians.