The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center Areas of Excellence

1. Population Sciences

Population Sciences includes the Epidemiology and Prevention and Control programs. These programs work to identify important health disparities among ethnic groups in Hawaiʻi that impact cancer incidence, treatment, outcomes, and survival, and lead research initiatives to address those disparities.

2. Clinical Sciences

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is currently involved in more than 200 clinical trials, each with the potential to save lives. The Center plans to further develop the program and work collaboratively with local providers to offer clinical trials that could lead to cancer treatment breakthroughs.

3. Breast Cancer

Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Native Hawaiian women have a higher incidence of breast cancer and a higher mortality rate than any other ethnic group.

Innovative research in breast cancer prevention and treatment is taking place today at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center to try to change these statistics. Results from their research can have tremendous implications on the care and treatment of breast cancer patients based on ethnicity. Understanding how genes affect susceptibility to cancer incidence can also help prevent the onset of this disease.

4. Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide and the leading cause of cancer death among Chinese, Filipino, and Hawaiian males in Hawaiʻi. The diverse populations in the state provides the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researchers unique opportunities to study cancer in relation to different ethnic groups to develop prevention strategies to reduce liver cancer among people at greater risk.

5. Childhood Cancer

Tremendous progress has been made in treating children's' cancers, but much work remains to be done.

The childhood cancer team conducts research in the areas of neuroblastoma, leukemia and other pediatric cancers. This team is dedicated to research that will lead to better treatments for children worldwide.

6. Mesothelioma

More than 20 million people in the U.S. and countless others around the world, have been exposed to asbestos. Studies show that this exposure greatly increases the risk of developing mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that is resistant to current therapies.

For the past 40 years researchers have tried to understand why asbestos causes cancer. Drs. Haining Yang and Michele Carbone from the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, and other collaborators, conducted groundbreaking research and have answered this critical question.