AMC Cancer Research Center

Dedicated to raising awareness and funds to support outstanding cancer programs in prevention, patient care, research, education and counseling services benefititng people across the nation.

Why do we exist?

In the dry air of Denver in 1904, the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society (JCRS) Sanatorium rose from the fields of a local dairy farm. Offering free care to patients suffering from tuberculosis, the staff and doctors committed themselves to controlling, if not conquering, the disease. By the 1950s, they reached their goal, and the JCRS redirected its focus to combating cancer, becoming the AMC Cancer Research Center. Over the years, our reputation grew as we became the first institution in the nation to devote its scientific resources exclusively to the prevention and control of cancer.

Exciting changes appeared on the horizon in 2005, when AMC Cancer Research Center officially affiliated with the University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC), the Rocky Mountain region’s National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. As we continue our mission under the name of AMC Cancer Fund, we provide direct fundraising support for the innovative and important research taking place at UCCC, playing a pivotal role in conquering cancer.

What have you accomplished?

AMC Cancer Research Center (AMC Cancer Fund) aims to “create hope through science” by raising funds through engaging corporations, civic organizations and individuals in special events, education and outreach efforts. As an independent entity, we are committed to raising funds and awareness for the innovative cancer research, treatment, prevention and control programs conducted at UCCC.  Here’s an example of a patient who has benefitted from our support:

Elizabeth, who is 29, was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer in June 2008. She underwent a CT scan and an ultrasound, and was referred to the University of Colorado Cancer Center, where she met Dr. Monique Spillman, who diagnosed and treated her.  “She was amazing,” Elizabeth recalled. “When she told me I had cancer, she sat on my bed and held my hand. She was always honest but positive. She said, ‘I treat all my patients as individuals, not as research experiments.’ She knows what she’s doing.” Elizabeth underwent surgery and withstood many grueling rounds of chemotherapy. Five recent clinical trials have showed that ovarian cancer patients have better outcomes with “belly wash” chemotherapy, also known as interperitoneal chemotherapy. Instead of injecting chemotherapy into Elizabeth’s bloodstream, Spillman injected a mixture of drugs and saline through a port into her abdominal cavity.

 “The idea is that the medicine gets to all the nooks and crannies where microscopic cancer cells may be hiding,” Spillman said.  After sporting a collection of various bandanas, Elizabeth is enjoying remission, curly hair and a return to activity.
By Mary Lemma

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