New Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers Brings Patient Comfort, Cutting-Edge Technology and Research Together

The Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers will be a state-of-the-art center at the Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute providing comprehensive care for patients with blood diseases with a focus on a personalized treatment experience.

Key elements of the center will include:

• A non-institutional, open, bright and inspirational design
• A next generation clinic with advanced information technology integrated into the patient experience
• The opportunity for complex treatments to be provided to patients on an out-patient basis
• Clinical research services to be included on-site and integrated into the Center Space designed with centralized area for physicians to collaborate
• Long term goal is to develop the Center as a national and international referral site for individualized and cutting edge care

Learn more about the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers on the UPMC CancerCenter website here.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is a term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably, invading nearby tissues and spreading to other parts of the body.

In some cancers, such as breast cancer, these abnormal cells form a tumor. Other cancers don’t form tumors, such as leukemia, which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. There are more than 100 types of cancer.

Cancer Treatments

While there is no cure for cancer, there are cancer treatments that can effectively slow the growth of cancer cells or stop them from forming altogether (remission).

The three main types of cancer treatment include:
Medical oncology (chemotherapy) – The use of drugs to kill cancer cells
Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) – The use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells
Surgical oncology – The surgical removal of a tumor

Oncologists may treat cancers using one or a combination of the above therapies.