The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is located in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. The Institute is composed of approximately 1,000 staff members, including 300 doctors many of whom are accademic leaders at national and international levels in editoirial roles

Cytojournal

CytoJournal is a peer-reviewed PubMed-indexed open access online scientific journal on cytology that publishes research articles and information related to all aspects of diagnostic cytopathology, including topics such as molecular cytopathology...

. Staff treats nearly 6,000 patients each year and operates with a budget of $216 million. It conducts approximately 700 cancer-specific scientific investigations programs and clinical trials each year.

Karmanos Cancer Institute became Michigan's first and only hospital exclusively focused on cancer on Dec. 1, 2005.

The Institute has its own Phase 1 program, one of only 14 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Phase 1 programs in the United States. Dr. Patricia LoRusso, D.O., Karmanos director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program and professor of internal medicine at Wayne State University, created the program and was involved in early clinical development of several commercially-viable drugs.

Karmanos is affiliated with Wayne State University School of Medicine and its doctors are faculty members at the medical school.

The Axxent FlexiShield Mini study-treatment adjunct to the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy breast cancer treatment at Karmanos-Crittenton Cancer Center has been recalled.

History

Karmanos began as the Detroit Institute for Cancer Research in 1943 and was later named the Michigan Cancer Foundation, encompassing the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center of Metropolitan Detroit and the cancer programs of the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University.

In 1995, the cancer center was named after Barbara Ann Karmanos, the late wife of Peter Karmanos Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Compuware Corporation. Barbara Ann Karmanos succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 46, after an eight-year battle with the disease.

Organization

Mission

The Karmanos Cancer Institute is focused on treating all types of cancer. Its mission statement reads: "The Karmanos Cancer Institute is a unique, urban-based integrated center of research, patient care and education, dedicated to the prevention, early detection, treatment and eventual eradication of cancer.

Research programs

The Karmanos Cancer Institute conducts research in areas including basic research, clinical research, translational research, epidemiological research and behavioral research.

Recognition

Karmanos is the preferred hospital for cancer care in southeast Michigan, according to the 2009 Cancer Treatment Preference Profile Survey, conducted by the National Research Corporation. It also received this distinction in 2008 and 2007.

Leadership

• Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D
  Gerold Bepler
  Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., is the president and chief executive officer of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan.Bepler also serves as principal investigator of Karmanos' National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant; Associate Dean, Cancer Programs,...
  
  ., was named president and chief executive officer and began his new position on Feb. 1, 2010. Read the Wikipedia article on Gerold Bepler by clicking on footnote.

• Ann G. Schwartz, Ph.D., MPH, serves in a transitional capacity as interim executive vice president.

• George Yoo, M.D., FACS, serves as chief medical officer and associate center director of Clinical Affairs.

• Terrance Albrecht, Ph.D., serves as interim associate center director for Population Sciences and interim program leader for Population Studies and Prevention.

• Cynthia Sikina serves as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

• Anthony Shields, M.D., Ph.D., serves as the associate center director for Clinical Research and program leader for Developmental Therapeutics.

• Wei-Zen Wei, Ph.D., serves as the associate center director for Basic Research .

• Antoinette Wozniak, M.D., serves as associate center director for Education and president of the medical staff.

• Alan S. Schwartz serves as chairman of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute board of directors.

• Charles Becker serves as chairman of the Karmanos Cancer Center board of directors.

Facilities

Main Campus:

• Karmanos Cancer Center main hospital—inpatient care

• Radiation Oncology Center

• Comprehensive Breast Center

• Outpatient Clinical Cancer Center

• Harper Professional Office Building

Karmanos Suburban Treatment Locations

• Karmanos Cancer Center—Farmington Hills, Mich.

• Karmanos-Crittenton Cancer Center—Rochester Hills, Mich. (opened February 2010)

The Karmanos-Crittenton's Axxent FlexiShield Mini study-treatment adjunct to the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy breast cancer treatment was recalled in early 2011. The F.D.A.

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 is looking into the unexpected deposit of tungsten particles in patients' tissue by the FlexiShield Mini. The Axxent system, developed by Xoft and now owned by iCAD Inc.

ICAD Inc.

iCAD Inc. , headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, is a medical-device manufacturer. Having acquired another device-maker, Xoft, at the end of 2010, iCAD almost immediately faced a case of mistaken consequences in some Xoft test-study patients....

, was found to have left study patients -- including two from Karmanos-Crittenton -- "riddled ... with hundreds of tiny particles of the heavy metal tungsten in their breast tissue and chest muscles" after surgery. Both affected Karmanos-Crittenton patients "had been informed of the recall and the potential problem but had not returned to the hospital," it was reported in March.

Karmanos Scientific Research Centers

• Hudson-Webber Cancer Research Center

• Prentis Cancer Research Center

Karmanos Business Offices

• New Center One

• Vaitkevicius Community Service Center

• Mid-Med Lofts

Affiliates

Karmanos is affiliated with other medical organizations, including:

• Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester, Mich.

• DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce, Mich.

• Huron Medical Center P.C. in Port Huron, Mich.

• Marquette General Health System in Marquette, Mich.

• MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland, Mich.

• Newland Medical Associates, P.C. in Southfield, Mich.

• Northern Michigan Regional Health System in Petoskey, Mich.

• Oncology Management Group, L.L.C., in Woodhaven and Southgate, Mich.

• ProMedica Health System in Toledo, Ohio

• Toledo Clinic Hematology Oncology in Toledo

• Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hospital and Cancer Center in Istanbul, Turkey

• Wattanosoth Hospital of the Bangkok Hospital Medical Center in Bangkok, Thailand

Growth

Karmanos Cancer Institute opened the Karmanos-Crittenton Cancer Center in February 2010 in Rochester Hills, Michigan

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Rochester Hills is an affluent city in northeast Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 70,995. The city of Rochester is bounded on the north, south, and west by Rochester Hills...

. The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, which refers to the institute's hospital, began its affiliation with Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in 2003.