Background
The Karmanos Cancer Institute began as the Detroit Institute for Cancer Research in 1943. It later became the Michigan Cancer Foundation, and - following a gift in 1995 from Peter Karmanos, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Compuware Corporation - it was re-named in honor of his wife, Barbara Ann Karmanos, who lost her 8-year battle with breast cancer in 1989. In providing the gift, Mr. Karmanos wanted to honor her courage and ensure that the best cancer care is available to all families.

As Michigan's only independent cancer hospital, Karmanos focuses on treating cancers of all types and is committed to a future free of the disease. It has been an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center since 1978 and is affiliated with Wayne State University.

Research Activities
A recognized leader in the fight against cancer, Karmanos Cancer Institute is at the forefront of cancer research. Lives are being saved today through more than 700 cancer- specific investigation programs and clinical trials conducted at Karmanos. As a leader in the field, Karmanos' Phase I Clinical Trials Program is one of only 16 in the nation funded by NCI. Karmanos has been involved in phase I trials for seven of the latest FDA-approved cancer drugs.

Patient Care Specialties
More than 6,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients come to Karmanos annually from throughout Michigan, across the nation, and around the world. Karmanos cares for its patients through 13 multidisciplinary teams of experts in all areas of treatment - surgery, medical oncology, and radiation oncology - as well as supportive services including pathology, radiology, nursing, and social work.

All forms of minimally invasive surgical techniques are used by Karmanos physicians, including endoscopic resections and the da Vinci Surgical System. Karmanos has been a leader in the use of the da Vinci system for gynecologic surgeries. Percutaneous cryotherapy at Karmanos allows ablation of local tumor masses without the need for an intravascular approach. The procedure uses extremely cold temperatures to destroy diseased tissue and has a faster recovery time.

Other Notable Programs
Karmanos has launched the National Oncogenomics and Molecular Imaging Center (NOMIC). The focus of NOMIC is to develop technology that characterizes the oncogene signatures for cancers in individual patients. In addition, the NOMIC will develop models of human cancers. From these models, oncogene signatures will be developed, validated, and made available to all institutions within the National Functional Genomics Consortium.

Karmanos is also home to the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers, which was formed to address the need for early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of asbestos-related diseases.

The J.P. McCarthy Cord Stem Cell Bank at Karmanos is a public, non-profit stem cell bank with more than 1,200 umbilical cord blood units in its inventory. The bank is one of only 21 internationally recognized cord stem cell banks affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program and is the only bank of its kind in Michigan.