Mays Cancer Center at UT Health SA

Project Narrative--Overall The Mays Cancer Center (MCC) at the University of Texas Health San Antonio (UT Health SA) is the National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center (NCICC) for a 38-county region of Central and South Texas, a region of 45,926 square miles with 4.9 million individuals who have a unique set of cancer-related challenges. The population in this catchment area is predominantly Hispanic, the fastest growing demographic in the United States (U.S.). The mission of the MCC is to reduce the cancer burden in Central and South Texas through the highest quality cancer care with expanded treatment options from our early phase clinical trials, ground- breaking cancer research aimed at reducing the incidence and mortality of cancer as well as improving treatment options, education of the future leaders of cancer scientists and clinicians, and cancer prevention programs that focus on our unique population. The MCC strives to be the institution of choice for cancer care in South Texas, a highly-productive research institution that attracts and retains the best cancer scientists, is the institution of choice for cancer education, and an organization devoted to reducing the burden of cancer in our region. The MCC has continued its focus on serving our unique South Texas population which is predominantly Hispanic (69%). The population of San Antonio’s metropolitan area is about 63% Hispanic, while parts of South Texas included in our catchment area are more than 90% Hispanic. Our goal is for the MCC to be a national resource where personalized, culturally-sensitive clinical care and scientific discovery will be conducted, focusing on the unique population of San Antonio and South Texas, to be used as the precepts for cancer control for the U.S. which, with changing demographics, will face many of the current challenges of our region in the future.