Norris Cotton Cancer Center Fact Sheet

Norris Cotton Cancer Center is a premier cancer research and care facility focused on the prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer. It is one of a only a handful of institutions nationwide designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a comprehensive cancer center.

Clinical Cancer Care

• Advanced treatments for all forms of cancer
• Most frequent cancers at the Cancer Center:
  • Breast - 15%
  • Skin - 13%
  • Lung - 12%
  • Prostate - 12%
• Eleven interdisciplinary oncology programs
• Access to regional and national clinical trials
  
• Regional centers in Manchester, NH and St. Johnsbury, VT and partnerships with community hospitals throughout the region

Number of Patients

• More than 5,200 new patients each year
• Cancer patients make 75,000 visits to Norris Cotton Cancer Center outpatient clinics each year

Leadership

• Mark A. Israel, MD, Director
  Professor of Genetics and of Pediatrics
  Dartmouth Medical School
• Burton Eisenberg, MD, F.A.C.S. Deputy Director and
  Associate Director for Clinical Research
  Professor of Surgery (Surgical Oncology)
  Dartmouth Medical School
  

Professional Staff

• More than 125 cancer research investigators pursue research studies in cancer biology, causes, prevention, and treatment
• Over 200 physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals work in the areas of diagnostics, medical oncology, hematology, bone marrow transplantation, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, psycho-oncology, palliative care and genetics counseling
• More than 90 oncology nurses coordinate and provide patient services and support, and Masters- or PhD-trained Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) conduct research and education to ensure center-wide excellence in oncology nursing
  

Research

• Core Funding from the National Cancer Institute: $3.1 million/year (30th consecutive year of funding)
• Research Funding to Cancer Center Members: $54 million in NIH, NCI and other grants and contracts

215+ Research Projects

• Cancer Epidemiology and Chemoprevention
• Cancer Control
• Molecular Therapeutics
• Cancer Mechanisms
• Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy
• Imaging and Radiobiology
  

Clinical Trials

• Cancer Center-Initiated Clinical Trials:
  30-45 trials open at any one time
• National Multi-Center Trials:
  100-110 trials open at any one time
• Pharmaceutical-Funded Trials:
  15-25 trials open at any one time
  

Clinical Trials Affiliations

• The Cancer Center is active in national networks of researchers and institutions participating in collaborative clinical trials:
  • Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)
  • Children’s Oncology Group (COG)
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)
  • Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)
  • National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
  • Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)

Facilities

• The Barbara E. Rubin Building (1995) at DHMC houses clinical space for outpatient care (radiation therapy and chemotherapy), cancer prevention research activities, and administrative offices
• The Rubin Building expansion, completed in 2003, doubled the size of the Cancer Center and provided four floors of additional space for clinical care, basic and translational research, and cancer prevention and control
• Full-service inpatient oncology care unit (28 beds) at DHMC with nine beds dedicated to bone marrow transplant support
• Research Laboratories in the Borwell Research Building at DHMC
• Remsen and Vail Research Laboratories at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH
• Shared Resources serve research needs in bioinformatics, biostatistics, clinical pharmacology, clinical trials development, flow cytometry, geonomics, immune monitoring, irradiation, molecular biology, proteomics, research pathology, and transgenics
• Additional patient care and research facilities located at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester and Nashua, NH; Norris Cotton Cancer Center • North in St. Johnsbury, VT; and the Veterans Affairs Regional Medical Center in White River Junction, VT

Regional and National Role

• One of a select group of institutions nationwide designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute
• Broad programs of community outreach, education, information, and support
• Continuing education and consultation for physicians and cancer care professionals throughout the region
• Affiliations with national service agencies such as the American Cancer Society