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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Contact Information

1100 Fairview Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 667-5000

The Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center – the only one in the Pacific Northwest. They do clinical work and conduct research along side the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

The Fred Hutchison Center was established in 1975 by Dr. William Hutchison. He founded it in the memory of his brother, Fred, who died of lung cancer when he was 45 years old. Today, besides providing patient care, their 2,300 scientists and staff members conduct research to better understand cancer with the goal of improving diagnostics, treatment, and prevention. Included among these scientists are three Nobel laureates and six members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Research

The goals of their research are:

to find methods of early detection of cancer so that it is easier to cure;
to create treatments that work but have fewer adverse side effects; and
to find ways to stop cancer from progressing.

Already, their research department has become famous for developing treatments that can better use the body’s immune system to battle cancer. This type of treatment does not come with the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. The researchers at the Fred Hutchison Center are leaders in this field, which is called immunotherapy. They are already applying their work in immunotherapy to patient care and have seen survival rates for patients with certain forms of cancer rise. They plan to continue the use of this therapy for patients with a variety of different cancers.

The focus of one of their biggest research projects is early detection. Caught early enough, cancer can be cured 9 out of 10 times. Their latest research is leading them to ways in which cancer can be detected with a blood test and towards the development of a drug that can be taken that can stop the cancer before it starts to grow.

One of their studies in early detection focuses on finding ways to detect lung cancer early in people who do not and never have smoked. The researchers feel this is an important area to study since 25 percent of lung cancer is not attributed to smoking. Their research involves finding a type of blood test that can detect lung cancer before the symptoms begin. Certain types of cancers in the lungs, like mesothelioma, can be present for years without showing symptoms.

At Fred Hutchison, they have also done extensive research in using antibodies to attack cancer tumors. They have studied and treated patients with other types of therapies that are delivered to the cancer cells only, leaving healthy cells alone and thus causing fewer side effects.

At Fred Hutchison, they are also working towards improving patients’ survival chances and improving quality of life. This is especially important for cancers with solid tumors that affect organs, like lung cancer. Patients with mesothelioma, the deadly asbestos-related cancer would particularly benefit from the Fred Hutchison Center’s work in this area. Since mesothelioma is rarely detected early, most prognoses are not good for long-term survival. For these people, treatment often amounts to prolonging life, pain management, and making the patient comfortable so that they can enjoy the time they have left more comfortably.