The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reaffirms Yale Cancer Center (YCC) as a comprehensive cancer center, a designation YCC has continuously held since becoming one of the first in the nation in 1974.

“We are proud of the outstanding care we have provided to our patients as an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center over the past 50 years,” said Dr. Eric Winer, director of the Yale Cancer Center and president and physician-in-chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital.

The research conducted at the Yale Cancer Center has been critical and has had an impact worldwide—from being the first to use chemotherapy as a cancer treatment to advancing immunotherapy. “NCI’s renewal of our five-year grant and continued designation as one of only 57 comprehensive cancer centers in the country is the high endorsement of the extraordinary work of all of our physicians, scientists, and staff who work tirelessly to provide the very best cancer care and research here in the state of Connecticut,” Winer said.

The redesignation follows a rigorous, year-long review by the NCI. Being recognized as a comprehensive cancer center is the institute’s most prestigious designation. The selected comprehensive cancer centers meet the strict standards for cancer research, clinical trials, patient care, community outreach, and education.

As the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Connecticut, YCC offers patients access to cutting-edge treatments and personalized therapies based on the unique characteristics of individual tumors and provides patient access to more than 250 clinical trials in early development for breakthrough treatments. Those trials include treatments created by YCC’s interdisciplinary, state-of-the-art research in basic science, translational research, and cancer prevention and control.

“Continued designation of the Yale Cancer Center as an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center recognizes the leadership of our cancer experts who are working hard every day to advance medicine and discover new treatments, while providing exceptional and compassionate treatment to each patient together with the exceptional team at Smilow Cancer Hospital,” said Dr. Nancy J. Brown, dean of Yale School of Medicine.