The cancer death rate in the U.S. dropped by 2.2% from 2016 to 2017 — that’s the largest single-year drop ever recorded, according to the American Cancer Society. The ACS report attributes the drop to a decrease in smoking rates, as well as new screening and treatment methods.
In a recent article that appeared on UVA Today, Thomas Loughran, MD, director of the UVA Cancer Center, discussed the role UVA has played in furthering this decades-long trend, improving outcomes for cancer patients, as well as advancing the treatment of the disease worldwide through ongoing clinical research.
Loughran came to the NCI-designated UVA Cancer Center seven years ago. As a researcher, his experience spans several decades and many important discoveries in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. He is internationally recognized for discovering large granular lymphocyte leukemia (LGL), and his research has been continuously funded since 1985.