Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Encyclopedia
Norris Cotton Cancer Center is a comprehensive cancer
center as designated by the National Cancer Institute
, with administrative offices located within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
in Lebanon, New Hampshire
.
The Center combines advanced cancer research at Dartmouth College
and Dartmouth Medical School
in Hanover, New Hampshire
, with patient-centered cancer care provided at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock regional locations in Manchester
and Keene, New Hampshire
, and St. Johnsbury, Vermont
, and 11 partner hospitals throughout New Hampshire
and Vermont
.
The Center provides access to research-based care, advanced technologies, and clinical trials for patients throughout northern New England.
In all, the Center has 25 separate programs for treating different cancers. These include:
In addition, the Center has several in-treatment and patient follow-up programs, including:
More than 250 research projects, with funding of more than $68 million per year, are ongoing at the Center.
Research collaborations draw on faculty at Dartmouth College and its professional schools: Dartmouth Medical School
, Thayer School of Engineering
, and the Tuck School of Business
. The Center’s researchers also collaborate with partner-researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Vermont
. In partnership with The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
, the Center is developing cancer registries in breast and colon cancer, and is shaping new work in health services, outcomes, and comparative effectiveness research.
In addition, physicians and scientists at the Center collaborate to speed the translation of research advances into novel treatments for cancer patients through interdisciplinary clinical programs.
The Center has developed several approaches to delivering advanced cancer care and technologies to patients throughout its rural region, including: web and computer-based surveys to enable patients to provide important medical and psychosocial input to their care team; and interdisciplinary clinics to coordinate visits to several providers in a single day, allowing patients to meet with the specialists who together will design their personalized treatment plan.
The Center’s website and Facebook page also serve to inform community members, patients and patient families about the Center’s programs and research.
Total annual philanthropic support for the Center exceeds $10 million.
The Center is named for Norris Cotton
, who served New Hampshire in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1954 and in the U.S. Senate from 1954 to 1975. As a senator, Norris Cotton secured $3 million in federal funding for the Cancer Center’s establishment.
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
center as designated by the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
, with administrative offices located within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is New Hampshire's only academic medical center and is headquartered on a campus in the heart of the Upper Connecticut River Valley, in Lebanon, New Hampshire....
in Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
.
The Center combines advanced cancer research at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. The fourth-oldest medical school in the United States, Dartmouth Medical School was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith and grew steadily over the course...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, with patient-centered cancer care provided at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock regional locations in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
and Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, and St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, and 11 partner hospitals throughout New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
Mission
The mission of the Center is to understand the causes of cancer, to translate new knowledge into better treatment, to provide effective and compassionate clinical care that improves the lives of cancer patients and families, and to educate communities about effective choices to prevent cancer.The Center provides access to research-based care, advanced technologies, and clinical trials for patients throughout northern New England.
Cancer care
More than 200 cancer specialists at Norris Cotton Cancer Center work in teams to treat more than 20,000 patients per year with all types of cancer, using state of the art technologies in diagnostics and imaging; medical, radiation and surgical oncology; bone marrow transplantation; and immunotherapy.In all, the Center has 25 separate programs for treating different cancers. These include:
- Blood & Marrow Transplantation Program
- Breast Cancer Program
- Endocrine Tumors Program
- Esophageal Cancer Program
- Familial Cancer Program
- Gastrointestinal & Pancreatic Cancer Program
- Gynecologic Cancer Program
- Head & Neck Cancer Program
- Hematology / Oncology Program
- Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center
- Leukemia Program
- Liver Tumor Clinic
- Lung / Esophageal / Thoracic Cancer Program
- Lymphoma Program
- Melanoma / Skin Cancer Program
- Neuro-Oncology Program
- Pancreatic Cancer Program
- Pediatric Cancer Program
- Prostate & Genitourinary Cancer Programs
- Radiation Oncology Program
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Skin Cancer Program
- Surgical Oncology Program
- Thoracic Cancer Program
- Thrombosis Program
In addition, the Center has several in-treatment and patient follow-up programs, including:
- Palliative Care
- Patient & Family Support Services
- Shared Decision Making
- Survivorship
Research
The Center’s 130 member investigators advance cancer science in six program areas:- Cancer Control
- Cancer Mechanisms
- Epidemiology and Chemoprevention
- Imaging and Radiobiology
- Immunology and Immunotherapy
- Molecular Therapeutics
More than 250 research projects, with funding of more than $68 million per year, are ongoing at the Center.
Research collaborations draw on faculty at Dartmouth College and its professional schools: Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. The fourth-oldest medical school in the United States, Dartmouth Medical School was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith and grew steadily over the course...
, Thayer School of Engineering
Thayer School of Engineering
Thayer School of Engineering is a graduate school at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States, whose faculty also double as the undergraduate Department of Engineering Sciences. The school was established in 1867 with funds from Brig. Gen...
, and the Tuck School of Business
Tuck School of Business
The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration is the graduate business school of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States...
. The Center’s researchers also collaborate with partner-researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
. In partnership with The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice is an organization within Dartmouth College "dedicated to improving health care through education, research, policy reform, leadership improvement, and communication with patients and the public." It was founded in 1988 by John...
, the Center is developing cancer registries in breast and colon cancer, and is shaping new work in health services, outcomes, and comparative effectiveness research.
In addition, physicians and scientists at the Center collaborate to speed the translation of research advances into novel treatments for cancer patients through interdisciplinary clinical programs.
Community outreach
Research on behavioral risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and sun exposure, and on environmental risk factors such as arsenic, is translated at the Center into community education and prevention programs targeted to the region’s underserved, rural populations. The Center’s “Kick Cancer” and "SunSafe" programs have brought cancer-prevention education to youth populations as well as adults throughout New Hampshire and Vermont.The Center has developed several approaches to delivering advanced cancer care and technologies to patients throughout its rural region, including: web and computer-based surveys to enable patients to provide important medical and psychosocial input to their care team; and interdisciplinary clinics to coordinate visits to several providers in a single day, allowing patients to meet with the specialists who together will design their personalized treatment plan.
The Center’s website and Facebook page also serve to inform community members, patients and patient families about the Center’s programs and research.
Support
The Center is supported, in part, by the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center, a Section 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt corporation. The Friends sponsor and partner with several fundraising events annually, culminating in the annual Prouty and Prouty Ultimate in July, a series of events in which runners, walkers, cyclists and rowers contribute to the Friends through distance sponsorships. In 2010 the Prouty events raised more than $2.3 million combined for the Center and involved more than 4,500 participants and 1,000 volunteers; a record number of participant sponsors, more than 23,000, contributed financial support. The Prouty is the largest charity fundraising event in northern New England. Since the Prouty’s founding in 1982, the events have raised more than $12 million.Total annual philanthropic support for the Center exceeds $10 million.
History
Founded in 1972, Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth was designated as a Clinical Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute in 1978 and as a Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1980. It is one of just 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States.The Center is named for Norris Cotton
Norris Cotton
Norris H. Cotton was an American Republican politician from the state of New Hampshire.Norris Cotton was born on a farm in Warren, New Hampshire. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Wesleyan University in Connecticut...
, who served New Hampshire in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1954 and in the U.S. Senate from 1954 to 1975. As a senator, Norris Cotton secured $3 million in federal funding for the Cancer Center’s establishment.