Why is This Effort so Important?

With National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, the KU Cancer Center and the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute (KMCRI) will join other centers of excellence, such as M.D. Anderson and the Mayo Clinic, in offering the very latest in treatments and therapies to cancer patients.  Moreover, the research conducted at the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute will translate into new therapies and cures that will save lives. 

Currently, there is not a NCI designated cancer center in the central Heartland region.  Cancer patients in Kansas must often travel very long distances to seek the very best in cancer care.  Through the Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA), a statewide network that is currently being developed, the very latest in cancer treatments and therapies that will be available at the KU Cancer Center will also be made available to patients across the state in their home communities.

Moreover, the presence of a NCI designated center in the state of Kansas will have tremendous economic benefit to our state.  The designation will create good jobs in the bio-tech and research industry as well as attract significant research dollars and support from the National Institutes of Health and private foundations.

Finally, and most importantly, people want to be involved because of the devastating toll that cancer takes on residents of our state and our nation.  Everyone is affected by cancer, either directly or indirectly.  Cancer currently causes one out of four deaths in the U.S. and accounts for 22% of deaths in the state of Kansas.  Currently, the rate of cancer in the state of Kansas is falling only have (-0.5%) as fast as in the U.S. (-1.1%) as a whole.  Currently the cost of cancer in Kansas is estimated to be more than $1.6 billion dollars per year.  It is expected that within the next ten years, because of the “graying” of our population, that cancer will become the number one killer in Kansas. 

The Kansas Masonic Foundation chose the fight against cancer as their top priority because of the destructive toll that it takes on individuals, families and society as a whole.  An overriding tenet of Masonry is the idea of performing “Service to Mankind.”  We can think of no better way to serve than to help in the fight against cancer.