Las Vegas is ~250 miles from the nearest National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center, the furthest of any metropolitan area its size.
-Develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches through translational cancer research.
-Enhance care delivery through an onsite tumor registry, biobank, and genomics program, as well as specialized, oncology dedicated staff
-Increase patient access to emerging therapies requiring specialized inpatient care.
-Create an infrastructure to support oncologic care for all local practicing physicians, regardless of affiliation.
-Contribute to the development of the next generation of physicians and scientists longitudinally, from STEM through post-doctoral/fellowship education
Approximately 2.64 million people are expected to call Clark County home in 2025, and that number is expected to grow by ~28% to 3.38 million by the year 2060. Given that the American Cancer Society estimates 378.2 new cases of cancer per 100,000 people in Nevada in 2023, it is important we prioritize cancer care access, delivery, and coordination for our growing population.
The program we are building emphasizes the integration of centralized, multi-disciplinary, evidence-based care with focused translational research and innovation. We seek to develop a place where local physicians come together with patients across every reach of the Las Vegas Valley in an environment that supports both the patients and the people taking care of them. Further, we aim to serve as an educational and training resource for students, physicians in training, and the next generation of medical professionals and scientists. Our strategic programmatic scope includes frontline community education to reduce cancer risk, cancer screening, support through active multi-modality treatment, and lifelong survivorship.
The long-term goal of our organization is to create a program worthy of designation as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center. These types of centers improve cancer-related outcomes and attract significant federal research funding. Additionally, NCI centers contribute to the robust clinical trial infrastructure required to ensure local patients have access to emerging therapeutics and cutting-edge treatment modalities, to include the inpatient management of patients receiving novel cellular and immuno-therapies. Currently, a Las Vegan would need to travel a minimum of ~250 miles to receive care at an NCI designated facility, and this is the farthest distance to a center from a metropolitan area of over 2 million people in the US.
Despite these challenges, today our individual local physicians provide high caliber care in an environment that is largely fragmented and under-resourced. The role of the LVCI therefore is in providing an infrastructure that catalyzes and expedites the delivery of multidisciplinary care, allowing us as a community to offer an even higher level of service. We endorse an open philosophy, and all current local oncology stakeholders are highly encouraged to participate in our development. We are working for Las Vegas to enhance local cancer care through the provision of needed substantive resources, not to compete with current organizations and systems.
Fifty bed inpatient hospital with designated beds for inpatient clinical trial participants
Onsite operating suites
State of the art imaging and radiation oncology facilities
Attached outpatient offices and service areas
A staff composed of individuals exclusively dedicated to the care of patients with cancer.
Dedicated laboratory space
Centralized, annotated specimen biobanking
Onsite Next Generation Sequencing
Organized Cancer Registry
Nutrition and Lifestyle
Mental Health
Patient Navigation
Dentistry
Financial Counseling
Genetic Counseling
Survivorship
-The engagement of healthcare consultants for strategic planning assistance
-Architectural renderings of the proposed facility
-Early hires of key development staff and professional service providers
-Support of our initial programs in nutrition, patient navigation, dental oncology, and innovation
