The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is an interdisciplinary initiative that combines basic science, clinical research, epidemiology/cancer control, and patient care throughout the University of California, San Francisco. The Center's mission is the discovery and evolution of new ideas and information about cancer, from the research to the clinical implementation phases of cancer control.

UCSF's long tradition of excellence in cancer research includes, notably, the Nobel Prize-winning work of J. Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus, who discovered cancer-causing oncogenes. Their work opened new doors for exploring genetic mistakes that cause cancer, and formed the basis for some of the most important cancer research happening today.

Basic Scientific Research
From understanding normal cellular processes and replication to discovering the underlying molecular and genetic causes of cancer when these processes go awry, UCSF researchers are committed to moving scientific insights beyond model systems and pursuing their relevance for clinical oncology and cancer prevention.

Clinical Research
Clinical scientists explore how greater understanding of fundamental biological events can be transformed into clinically relevant tools. New forms of cancer treatment, as well as innovations in diagnosis and prognosis, undergo rigorous evaluation for safety and efficacy -- translating into improved patient outcomes and hope for the future.

Patient Care
The Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center provides superlative cancer patient care at four San Francisco medical centers: UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion; UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus; San Francisco General Hospital; and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Population Science
Cancer population sciences at UCSF includes a broad range of research on the causes of new cancers and the sickness and death due to the disease in order to develop ways to improve the prevention and early detection of cancer as well as the quality of life following diagnosis and treatment for all of Northern California's diverse populations.

More Info
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