Mesothelioma Foundations

Mesothelioma Doctors

Over 30 Billion dollars in trust fund money has been set aside for asbestos victims.

Get a Free copy of Surviving Mesothelioma, Lean on Me, or 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma

Mesolink.org now offeres Free Assistance with VA Claims and other benefits.

Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center

Contact Information

675 North St. Clair, 21st Floor Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 695-0990

The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center was established in 1991 after Northwestern University was awarded an endowment from Ann and Robert Lurie. The center is located in Chicago, IL, and is affiliated with the University. Prior to the endowment, Northwestern’s Cancer Center had served cancer patients for nearly 17 years. The oncologists at Lurie Cancer Center practice at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation and serve as research faculty at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Lurie Cancer Center is recognized for its cutting edge technology, superior patient care, and research efforts. The center received accolades and designation as a comprehensive care center from the National Cancer Institute in 1998. The center is also a founding member of a world-wide alliance of leading cancer centers, known as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Twenty-one cancer centers participate in this network to promote cancer research.

Nutrition counseling, supportive oncology programs, psychological support, community outreach, and cancer education are a part of the Lurie Cancer Center initiatives. To increase the patient’s support network after treatment, the center organizes an annual Cancer Survivors’ Celebration and Walk. The walk is a tribute to cancer survivors and researchers' contributions to cancer research. Friends, family, co-workers or any person in the survivors support group may participate in the walk. Previous years walks had nearly 4000 participants.

The Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence is also known for its incredible strides in nanotechnology research to aid cancer treatments. Nanotechnology Excellence partnered with Lurie Cancer Center to provide accelerated development of cancer treatments and devices used to treat cancer. Nanotechnology is often employed to administer drugs, diagnostic tests and other cancer related research.

Current research involves breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancer types. The center conducts clinical trials to assist patients in the area of medical oncology, malignant hematology, neuro-oncology, gynecologic-oncology, radiation oncology, chemo-prevention, and surgical oncology. Most of the clinical trials conducted at Lurie Cancer Center are in the early phases. National Cancer Institute assists Lurie Cancer Center in patient recruitment for clinical trials. While participation in clinical trials across the nation is only 3 percent, the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center encourages involvement.

Patients participating in clinical trials should understand the clinical trial process and potential risks involved. The phases of clinical trials are:

Phase I: Safety and the effectiveness of the drug in a human body are determined during this phase. Scientists will note the rate the drug is absorbed, metabolized and excreted from the body. Side effects may be examined and noted in this phase. Most often these trials are performed on relatively healthy patients.
Phase II: This phase tests a small number of individuals afflicted with cancer to determine the effectiveness of the drug against the disease. A comparison of the experimental drug to current drugs on the market is often employed to determine which is more effective.
Phase III: Larger groups of patients are recruited to document any adverse reactions, notate the benefits, and determine the effectiveness of the drug before introduction to the market. A wider audience allows physicians to determine how different body make-ups will react to the drug.
Phase IV: After the drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this study measures the long term effects or risks of the drug while on the market.