About the Abramson Cancer Center
The Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. With over 300 faculty members and a commitment to innovation, we offer comprehensive care and leading-edge treatments for patients with cancer.
The Abramson Cancer Center: a legacy of cancer care excellence
Penn Medicine’s Cancer Center was formally established in 1973 by a dedicated group of cancer specialists committed to offering cancer patients the newest and most innovative therapeutic advances. Originally, its goal was to demonstrate that the appropriate cancer therapy could cure patients of their disease. The Cancer Center has expanded to over 300 faculty, organized in divisions that seek to prevent, diagnose, and cure cancer through the development of new knowledge, diagnostic tests, and therapies.
In June 2002, the Cancer Center was renamed the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania in recognition of the extraordinary support of Leonard and Madlyn Abramson and family.
The Abramson Cancer Center is one of a select group of cancer centers in the country awarded the prestigious designation of Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. This status, which has been awarded to the Abramson Cancer Center continuously since 1973, reflects our outstanding research, clinical services, education, and information services and community outreach.
Our mission
The Abramson Cancer Center’s mission is achieved through the following objectives:
- Development and support of cancer-focused research programs that are interdisciplinary and interdepartmental in nature
- Expansion and integration of cancer-related patient services and interdisciplinary clinical programs
- Development and support of interdepartmental educational programs for physicians, scientists, students, nurses, and others
- Recruitment and support of new faculty with a commitment to cancer research
- Facilitation of investigator collaboration within and among research programs
- Development and management of Shared Resources
- Acquisition and allocation of laboratory space for active cancer researchers
The Abramson Cancer Center works closely with departments, the health system and University leaders, Cancer Center members, and interested faculty to achieve its mission.
What’s next is happening right now
Cancer research is advancing rapidly thanks to innovative approaches uncovered through Penn Medicine’s translational research and clinical trials. Our goal is to bring these emerging therapies from the research bench directly to the patient’s bedside.
Dedicated to innovative, compassionate care
Our clinical program, comprised of a dedicated staff of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists and patient care coordinators, currently sees 305,248 outpatient visits and more than 10,230 discharges, and provides more than 81,471 chemotherapy and 66,110 radiation treatments.
Not only are we dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care, the latest forms of cancer prevention, diagnoses and treatments are available to our patients through clinical themes developed in the relentless pursuit to eliminate the pain and suffering from cancer, with more than 9,069 participants in nearly 600 clinical trials.
In addition, the Abramson Cancer Center is home to the 400+ basic, translational and clinical scientists who relentlessly work to determine the pathogenesis of cancer. Together, our faculty is committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Giving to the Abramson Cancer Center: Support innovation and discovery
Your generosity is fueling research that brings hope to patients and families facing cancer.
Each gift provides Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center with the necessary resources to provide leading edge research and the very best in cancer care to patients and their families. We address medicine not just at the cellular level but at the personal level.
Individually, each person can make a difference; collectively, the many friends of the Abramson Cancer Center help shape the future of cancer research and patient care.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.