Leaders from two top-five cancer centers, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, shared with Becker's the changes they want to see in cancer care.
Question: If you could change one thing about cancer care, what would it be?
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Peter Pisters, MD. President of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): As a nation, we can have the greatest impact by focusing more attention and effort on primary prevention of cancer. This would require a sharper focus on metabolic health, careful attention to biomarkers and the combination of growth factors and inflammation. It will also require attention to modifiable risk factors including blood pressure, alcohol, visceral obesity and dyslipidemia. Perhaps most importantly, we need enhanced education regarding the extraordinary impact of physical exercise on human health. No medical intervention has the same impact on all-cause mortality that exercise has.
Jonathan Watkins. President of City of Hope Cancer Center (Atlanta): City of Hope wants cancer care to be accessible to all who need it, regardless of geography, race and socioeconomic status. In Georgia, we are focused on this by establishing multiple ways in which the community can access our services, including important healthcare screenings and treatments.
Read about the best leadership advice these leaders have received here and how they are tackling recruitment here.