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Wendy Cohn and Thomas P. Loughran Jr. column: A comprehensive approach to better cancer prevention and care for all Virginians

Thanks to incredible improvements in screening, new medications and advancements in treatment options, the most recent data from the American Cancer Society shows the cancer death rate in the United States fell 32% between 1991 and 2019. That equals almost 3.5 million fewer cancer deaths than if the death rate had remained unchanged, which speaks to how rapidly cancer care has improved over the last three decades.

Researchers and care providers at UVA Cancer Center have been at the forefront of those advances — leading the National Cancer Institute to designate UVA as Virginia’s first and only Comprehensive Cancer Center, and one of just 52 in the United States.

But what does that designation mean for the average Virginian? It means that even as cancer treatments, research and guidelines continue to rapidly change and improve, no resident should need to leave the commonwealth for world-class cancer care, access to cutting-edge clinical trials and the best information on reducing cancer risk. Read More>