The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. Located in Houston on the campus of the Texas Medical Center, MD Anderson marked its 70-year anniversary in 2011. The Texas Legislature created MD Anderson in 1941 as part of The University of Texas System. It is one of the nation’s original three comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971.

The mission of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world through outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention, and through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

Noteworthy for 2011:

  • More than 108,000 people — about one-third of them new patients — sought the high-quality care that has made MD Anderson so widely respected.
  • There were nearly 10,000 registrants on clinical trials exploring novel treatments, the largest such program in the nation.
  • For eight of the past 10 years, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in the Best Hospitals survey published by U.S. News & World Report.
  • MD Anderson provided $215 million in uncompensated care to Texans with cancer. This figure includes un-reimbursed costs of care for patients who either have no insurance or are underinsured, or whose care was not fully covered by government sponsored health programs.
  • The new Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy will be an international center of clinical excellence focusing on using the latest advances in genetic testing to develop safer, more effective treatments for patients on a case-by-case basis.
  • MD Anderson ranks first in number of grants awarded, including 11 Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants, and total amount of grant dollars from the National Cancer Institute.
  • MD Anderson completed Making Cancer History®: The Campaign to Transform Cancer Care, which raised $1.215 billion to support a variety of key initiatives related to cancer research, patient care, education and prevention.
  • The new Institute for Applied Cancer Science will identify and validate new cancer targets, convert the scientific knowledge into new cancer drugs, and advance the novel agents into innovative clinical trials.