cancer hospital thesis

• < Previous

Home > Theses and Dissertations > Theses > All Theses > 2172

Comprehensive Cancer Care: an outpatient treatment facility

Braden Abrams Reid , Clemson University

Date of Award

Document type, degree name.

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Legacy Department

Architecture

Committee Chair/Advisor

David Allison

Committee Member

Daniel Harding

John Jacques

Dr. Cynthia Pury

A cancer diagnosis can result in a loss of decision-making and control for patients. The majority of clinical treatments fail to adequately address corollary symptoms and needs that arise both from treatment and from the disease itself. Thus, the architectural problem identified in this thesis inquiry is how can an outpatient cancer centre treat the whole patient comprehensively, while at the same time instilling control and re-empowering the patient? This thesis project proposes a patient-centered environment designed to support the myriad and nuanced needs of the cancer patient, as well as a site-specific proposal for a comprehensive outpatient cancer treatment centre located in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. This cancer centre is designed with the notion of patient-empowerment as a design driver, and incorporates non-traditional complementary treatments in addition to those clinical treatments typically offered in the conventional North American cancer centre.

By way of supporting this topical area of inquiry, the following topics comprise the scope of inquiry undertaken in this project: Clinical Cancer Treatment Architecture: the three main facility types in which cancer treatment occurs - freestanding, aggregated, and monolithic. Complementary/Alternative Treatment Architecture: both cancer-focused and general alternative treatment centres were also investigated, in order to determine what complementary therapies might be appropriate to incorporate with a clinical cancer treatment center. Additionally, these facilities were helpful in giving cues as to what physical design drivers could help guide the subsequent thesis design proposal.

The review of many personal cancer patient blogs and video diaries (all openly available online) was important in framing the experience of the patient. What therapies were commonly feared, personal aversions that developed as a result of treatment, and similar notions written or spoken about all helped to give a sense of what it might be like to be in a patient's situation, and what design decisions might have been helpful in nurturing a more positive experience.

Design principles were developed out of the topical inquiry and architectural investigation, with the focus of patient empowerment at hand. Similarly, site selection, programmatic development, and the final design proposal were each conducted through the lens of the patient experience, and how best to instill control before, during, and after treatment is delivered (that is to say, before the patient arrives, the experience of receiving care, and what is taken away once they leave the treatment centre).

The resulting design proposal developed from this investigation is a 45,000 square foot outpatient cancer treatment centre located in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The facility comprises a full hematology and infusion therapy suite, a radiation therapy suite, an alternative medicine suite, a physical therapy program, mind-body therapies, and a diet and nutrition area. Patients originating in the Cities of Greenville, Spartanburg, and Greer, and all surrounding areas will utilize this centre.

Recommended Citation

Reid, Braden Abrams, "Comprehensive Cancer Care: an outpatient treatment facility" (2014). All Theses . 2172. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2172

Since June 16, 2015

Included in

Architecture Commons , Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately, you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• All Collections
• Expert Gallery
• Theses & Dissertations
• Selected Works Gallery
• Student Works
• Conferences
• Open Access Fund Collection
• Historic Collections

Useful Links

• Author Resources
• Author Rights
• Scholarly Publishing Information
• Graduate School

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

DigitalCommons@UNMC

Home > Eppley Institute > Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations: Cancer Research

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Therapeutic Effects of BET Protein Inhibition in B-cell Malignancies and Beyond , Audrey L. Smith

Identification of Mitotic Phosphatases and Cyclin K as Novel Molecular Targets in Pancreatic Cancer , Yi Xiao

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Development of Combination Therapy Strategies to Treat Cancer Using Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors , Nicholas Mullen

Overcoming Resistance Mechanisms to CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatment Using CDK6-Selective PROTAC , Sarah Truong

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Omics Analysis in Cancer and Development , Emalie J. Clement

Investigating the Role of Splenic Macrophages in Pancreatic Cancer , Daisy V. Gonzalez

Polymeric Chloroquine in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Therapy , Rubayat Islam Khan

Evaluating Targets and Therapeutics for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer , Shelby M. Knoche

Characterization of 1,1-Diarylethylene FOXM1 Inhibitors Against High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma Cells , Cassie Liu

Novel Mechanisms of Protein Kinase C α Regulation and Function , Xinyue Li

SOX2 Dosage Governs Tumor Cell Identity and Proliferation , Ethan P. Metz

Post-Transcriptional Control of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Ras-Driven Colorectal Cancers , Chaitra Rao

Use of Machine Learning Algorithms and Highly Multiplexed Immunohistochemistry to Perform In-Depth Characterization of Primary Pancreatic Tumors and Metastatic Sites , Krysten Vance

Characterization of Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Immunosuppressed Patient , Megan E. Wackel

Visceral adipose tissue remodeling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cachexia: the role of activin A signaling , Pauline Xu

Phos-Tag-Based Screens Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets in Ovarian Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer , Renya Zeng

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Functional Characterization of Cancer-Associated DNA Polymerase ε Variants , Stephanie R. Barbari

Pancreatic Cancer: Novel Therapy, Research Tools, and Educational Outreach , Ayrianne J. Crawford

Apixaban to Prevent Thrombosis in Adult Patients Treated With Asparaginase , Krishna Gundabolu

Molecular Investigation into the Biologic and Prognostic Elements of Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma with Regulators of Tumor Microenvironment Signaling Explored in Model Systems , Tyler Herek

Utilizing Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras to Target the Transcriptional Cyclin-Dependent Kinases 9 and 12 , Hannah King

Insights into Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Pathogenesis and Metastasis Using a Bedside-to-Bench Approach , Marissa Lobl

Development of a MUC16-Targeted Near-Infrared Antibody Probe for Fluorescence-Guided Surgery of Pancreatic Cancer , Madeline T. Olson

FGFR4 glycosylation and processing in cholangiocarcinoma promote cancer signaling , Andrew J. Phillips

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Cooperativity of CCNE1 and FOXM1 in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer , Lucy Elge

Characterizing the critical role of metabolic and redox homeostasis in colorectal cancer , Danielle Frodyma

Genomic and Transcriptomic Alterations in Metabolic Regulators and Implications for Anti-tumoral Immune Response , Ryan J. King

Dimers of Isatin Derived Spirocyclic NF-κB Inhibitor Exhibit Potent Anticancer Activity by Inducing UPR Mediated Apoptosis , Smit Kour

From Development to Therapy: A Panoramic Approach to Further Our Understanding of Cancer , Brittany Poelaert

The Cellular Origin and Molecular Drivers of Claudin-Low Mammary Cancer , Patrick D. Raedler

Mitochondrial Metabolism as a Therapeutic Target for Pancreatic Cancer , Simon Shin

Development of Fluorescent Hyaluronic Acid Nanoparticles for Intraoperative Tumor Detection , Nicholas E. Wojtynek

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The role of E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXO9 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis , R. Willow Hynes-Smith

BRCA1 & CTDP1 BRCT Domainomics in the DNA Damage Response , Kimiko L. Krieger

Targeted Inhibition of Histone Deacetyltransferases for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy , Richard Laschanzky

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class I Molecule Components and Amyloid Precursor-Like Protein 2 (APLP2): Roles in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Migration , Bailee Sliker

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

FOXM1 Expression and Contribution to Genomic Instability and Chemoresistance in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer , Carter J. Barger

Overcoming TCF4-Driven BCR Signaling in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma , Keenan Hartert

Functional Role of Protein Kinase C Alpha in Endometrial Carcinogenesis , Alice Hsu

Functional Signature Ontology-Based Identification and Validation of Novel Therapeutic Targets and Natural Products for the Treatment of Cancer , Beth Neilsen

Elucidating the Roles of Lunatic Fringe in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma , Prathamesh Patil

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Metabolic Reprogramming of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells in Response to Chronic Low pH Stress , Jaime Abrego

Understanding the Relationship between TGF-Beta and IGF-1R Signaling in Colorectal Cancer , Katie L. Bailey

The Role of EHD2 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis and Progression , Timothy A. Bielecki

Perturbing anti-apoptotic proteins to develop novel cancer therapies , Jacob Contreras

Role of Ezrin in Colorectal Cancer Cell Survival Regulation , Premila Leiphrakpam

Evaluation of Aminopyrazole Analogs as Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors for Colorectal Cancer Therapy , Caroline Robb

Identifying the Role of Janus Kinase 1 in Mammary Gland Development and Breast Cancer , Barbara Swenson

DNMT3A Haploinsufficiency Provokes Hematologic Malignancy of B-Lymphoid, T-Lymphoid, and Myeloid Lineage in Mice , Garland Michael Upchurch

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

EHD1 As a Positive Regulator of Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor , Luke R. Cypher

Inflammation- and Cancer-Associated Neurolymphatic Remodeling and Cachexia in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma , Darci M. Fink

Role of CBL-family Ubiquitin Ligases as Critical Negative Regulators of T Cell Activation and Functions , Benjamin Goetz

Exploration into the Functional Impact of MUC1 on the Formation and Regulation of Transcriptional Complexes Containing AP-1 and p53 , Ryan L. Hanson

DNA Polymerase Zeta-Dependent Mutagenesis: Molecular Specificity, Extent of Error-Prone Synthesis, and the Role of dNTP Pools , Olga V. Kochenova

Defining the Role of Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation in the Regulation of Gap Junction Proteins , Hanjun Li

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating MYC and PGC1β Expression in Colon Cancer , Jamie L. McCall

Pancreatic Cancer Invasion of the Lymphatic Vasculature and Contributions of the Tumor Microenvironment: Roles for E-selectin and CXCR4 , Maria M. Steele

Altered Levels of SOX2, and Its Associated Protein Musashi2, Disrupt Critical Cell Functions in Cancer and Embryonic Stem Cells , Erin L. Wuebben

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Characterization and target identification of non-toxic IKKβ inhibitors for anticancer therapy , Elizabeth Blowers

Effectors of Ras and KSR1 dependent colon tumorigenesis , Binita Das

Characterization of cancer-associated DNA polymerase delta variants , Tony M. Mertz

A Role for EHD Family Endocytic Regulators in Endothelial Biology , Alexandra E. J. Moffitt

Biochemical pathways regulating mammary epithelial cell homeostasis and differentiation , Chandrani Mukhopadhyay

EPACs: epigenetic regulators that affect cell survival in cancer. , Catherine Murari

Role of the C-terminus of the Catalytic Subunit of Translesion Synthesis Polymerase ζ (Zeta) in UV-induced Mutagensis , Hollie M. Siebler

LGR5 Activates TGFbeta Signaling and Suppresses Metastasis in Colon Cancer , Xiaolin Zhou

LGR5 Activates TGFβ Signaling and Suppresses Metastasis in Colon Cancer , Xiaolin Zhou

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Genetic dissection of the role of CBL-family ubiquitin ligases and their associated adapters in epidermal growth factor receptor endocytosis , Gulzar Ahmad

Strategies for the identification of chemical probes to study signaling pathways , Jamie Leigh Arnst

Defining the mechanism of signaling through the C-terminus of MUC1 , Roger B. Brown

Targeting telomerase in human pancreatic cancer cells , Katrina Burchett

The identification of KSR1-like molecules in ras-addicted colorectal cancer cells , Drew Gehring

Mechanisms of regulation of AID APOBEC deaminases activity and protection of the genome from promiscuous deamination , Artem Georgievich Lada

Characterization of the DNA-biding properties of human telomeric proteins , Amanda Lakamp-Hawley

Studies on MUC1, p120-catenin, Kaiso: coordinate role of mucins, cell adhesion molecules and cell cycle players in pancreatic cancer , Xiang Liu

Epac interaction with the TGFbeta PKA pathway to regulate cell survival in colon cancer , Meghan Lynn Mendick

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Deconvolution of the phosphorylation patterns of replication protein A by the DNA damage response to breaks , Kerry D. Brader

Modeling malignant breast cancer occurrence and survival in black and white women , Michael Gleason

The role of dna methyltransferases in myc-induced lymphomagenesis , Ryan A. Hlady

Design and development of inhibitors of CBL (TKB)-protein interactions , Eric A. Kumar

Pancreatic cancer-associated miRNAs : expression, regulation and function , Ashley M. Mohr

Mechanistic studies of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) , Xiaming Pang

Novel roles for JAK2/STAT5 signaling in mammary gland development, cancer, and immune dysregulation , Jeffrey Wayne Schmidt

Optimization of therapeutics against lethal pancreatic cancer , Joshua J. Souchek

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Immune-based novel diagnostic mechanisms for pancreatic cancer , Michael J. Baine

Sox2 associated proteins are essential for cell fate , Jesse Lee Cox

KSR2 regulates cellular proliferation, transformation, and metabolism , Mario R. Fernandez

Discovery of a novel signaling cross-talk between TPX2 and the aurora kinases during mitosis , Jyoti Iyer

Regulation of metabolism by KSR proteins , Paula Jean Klutho

The role of ERK 1/2 signaling in the dna damage-induced G2 , Ryan Kolb

Regulation of the Bcl-2 family network during apoptosis induced by different stimuli , Hernando Lopez

Studies on the role of cullin3 in mitosis , Saili Moghe

Characteristics of amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) in pancreatic cancer and Ewing's sarcoma , Haley Louise Capek Peters

Structural and biophysical analysis of a human inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase polymorphism , Peter David Simone

Functions and regulation of Ron receptor tyrosine kinase in human pancreatic cancer and its therapeutic applications , Yi Zou

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Coordinate detection of new targets and small molecules for cancer therapy , Kurt Fisher

The role of c-Myc in pancreatic cancer initiation and progression , Wan-Chi Lin

The role of inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) in maintanence [sic] of genomic stability in human cells , Miriam-Rose Menezes

Molecular insights into major histocompatibility complex class I folding and assembly , Laura Christina Simone

The role of bcl-2 in colon cancer metastatic progression , Wang Wang

• Eppley Institute Website
• McGoogan Library

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

The Comprehensive Cancer Center pp 3–13 Cite as

Building a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Overall Structure

• Dolores Grosso 6 ,
• Mahmoud Aljurf 7 &
• Usama Gergis 6  
• Open Access
• First Online: 29 October 2021

6020 Accesses

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for approximately 9.6 million deaths [1]. The WHO recommends that each nation has a national cancer control program (NCCP) to reduce the incidence of cancer and deaths related to cancer, as well as to improve the quality of life of cancer patients [2]. Comprehensive cancer centers form the backbone of a NCCP and are charged with developing innovative approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment [3]. This is accomplished through basic and clinical research, the provision of patient care, the training of new clinicians and scientists, and community outreach and education. Most comprehensive cancer centers are affiliated with university medical centers, but their cancer care initiatives may involve partnering outside the institution with other comprehensive cancer centers, community leaders, or members of industry [3]. When affiliated with a university medical center, cancer center executives must work in concert with their counterparts at the hospital, patient practice, medical school, and allied health science leaders resulting in an overlapping, often complicated reporting structure. Comprehensive cancer centers and the departments in the center receive funding for their services from various sources, including national and local grants, institutional funds, private donations, and industry [4].

You have full access to this open access chapter,  Download chapter PDF

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for approximately 9.6 million deaths [ 1 ]. The WHO recommends that each nation has a national cancer control program (NCCP) to reduce the incidence of cancer and deaths related to cancer, as well as to improve the quality of life of cancer patients [ 2 ]. Comprehensive cancer centers form the backbone of a NCCP and are charged with developing innovative approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment [ 3 ]. This is accomplished through basic and clinical research, the provision of patient care, the training of new clinicians and scientists, and community outreach and education. Most comprehensive cancer centers are affiliated with university medical centers, but their cancer care initiatives may involve partnering outside the institution with other comprehensive cancer centers, community leaders, or members of industry [ 3 ]. When affiliated with a university medical center, cancer center executives must work in concert with their counterparts at the hospital, patient practice, medical school, and allied health science leaders resulting in an overlapping, often complicated reporting structure. Comprehensive cancer centers and the departments in the center receive funding for their services from various sources, including national and local grants, institutional funds, private donations, and industry [ 4 ].

The structure of a comprehensive cancer center arises from the mission of the center and the framework required to support this mission. The overarching mission of a comprehensive cancer center is to reduce the incidence of cancer and increase the quality of life and survival rates in patients with malignancies. There are three primary areas of cancer care: research, clinical care, and education that coalesce to meet this goal. Multiple interconnected departments are required to meet the objectives of the cancer center. Department heads include physicians, scientists, or administrators, depending on the focus of the department. The department leaders report to the comprehensive cancer center director, who is assisted by deputy directors and hospital advisory boards. The comprehensive cancer center director is typically an accomplished individual trained in a specific area of cancer research, but who has a vision for the broad research and clinical base required of the cancer center. The cancer center director has a multitude of responsibilities, including setting departmental goals, coordinating efforts between departments, hiring and retaining scientific staff, obtaining national, state, and philanthropic funding, creating new programs, and monitoring the business aspects of the center.

Structure of a Comprehensive Cancer Center Based on Mission

Basic laboratory research.

Basic laboratory research generates the knowledge that forms the basis for applied science. This type of research focuses on the mechanistic understanding of biochemical, biologic, physiologic, and pharmacologic processes as they relate to cancer and cancer treatments [ 5 ]. Tools used in this type of research include laboratory techniques such as flow cytometry analysis, bioimaging, spectroscopy, and gene sequencing. Laboratory experiments with human cell lines or animal models may also be utilized in this type of research. Basic laboratory research requires trained scientists, laboratory space and equipment, storage facilities for cell samples and cell lines, and areas for the humane care and housing of research animals . In most comprehensive cancer centers, a centralized source of core services and equipment exists, which is accessible to all scientists. Gene expression analysis and next-generation sequencing are examples of services provided by a comprehensive cancer center’s core laboratory facility. Training of future generations of scientists is also a key function of laboratory scientists. Students in MD/PhD programs, clinical fellows requiring research experience, and postdoctoral scientists are examples of the many individuals trained in basic science in comprehensive cancer centers. The basic science division is composed of subspecialty areas such as immunology, cancer biology, or microbiology. Directors of these areas report to a director of basic science who in turn reports to the comprehensive cancer center director or deputy director.

Clinical Research in Human Subjects

Patients with cancer require multidisciplinary care to achieve optimal outcomes. Therefore, clinicians with expertise in medical, surgical, and radiation oncology participate in the direct care of patients with oncologic diagnoses and perform research in their specialty areas with the goal of improving cancer care. Examples of clinical research initiatives include those testing cancer prevention strategies [ 6 ], analyses of medication efficacy, trials comparing the benefits of various treatment modalities, and analyses of risk based on tumor genetic signature. Cancer research trials may be observational, analyzing cause and effect relationships, or interventional with the goal of evaluating the impact of a specific treatment [ 7 ]. Investigators in comprehensive cancer centers may participate with other institutions in national or international networks to analyze the outcomes of large numbers of combined patients providing more power to detect meaningful trends. Clinical research involves human subjects and, therefore, this type of research approach requires systems to be in place within the comprehensive cancer center to protect the safety, welfare, and rights of human research subjects.

Translational Research

Translational research is the integration of basic laboratory research with patient- and population-based research [ 8 ]. In this area, clinical research and basic research are complementary to each other with both areas contributing to a specific outcome. Ideally, translational research applies newly developed basic research understandings and applies them to early phase clinical research. This is a multistep, bidirectional process in which optimal treatments are refined over time by incremental discovery in both the clinical and laboratory settings. The ability to translate scientific data generated by the cancer center into actionable improvement in cancer care is central to the mission of the comprehensive cancer center. Therefore, a specific department of translational research exists in most cancer centers. Initiatives that foster working relationships between bench scientists and clinicians, such as scientific meetings, data sharing sessions, and availability of funding for multidisciplinary research, assist in the development of transitional research. Clinical trials, such as first-in-man or phase I studies, are developed by basic scientists and clinicians and are conducted within the comprehensive cancer center. The director of translational research reports directly to the comprehensive cancer center director or deputy director.

Population Health Research

The goal of population health science is to optimize health outcomes in specific populations. This type of research assesses trends in cancer incidence, identifies disparities in health care and suggests corrective actions, and examines cancer prevention, incidence, and treatment based on gender, race, or ethnicity, geographic location, or income. In doing so, population health scientists study community characteristics to inform the development of cancer care initiatives. In many comprehensive cancer centers , community outreach via education programs and free health services are offered through the population health department. The Framingham study is an early, important example of population health science which linked cigarette smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise to the development of cardiovascular disease [ 9 ]. A more recent analysis of prostate cancer screening recommended different screening guidelines for African American versus Caucasian men, as African American men have a higher incidence and rate of death of prostate cancer than their Caucasian counterparts [ 10 ]. Population health scientists are in key positions to examine local health issues and can have direct, positive impacts on the health of their communities. The director of population health reports directly to the cancer center director or deputy director.

Protection of Human Subjects

Institutional review boards.

The primary group responsible for the oversight of clinical research in human subjects is the Institutional Review Board (IRB) that reviews, approves, and monitors the conduct of clinical trials. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, and community members can all serve on an IRB. The IRB reviews informed consent documents, investigator brochures, and provides guidance to investigators. The IRB also serves a critical role in monitoring the compliance of researchers to the conditions set forth in their clinical trials as well as adherence to IRB regulations for patient safety, sponsor-investigator relationships, reporting of adverse events, and adherence to national guidelines. IRBs follow guidelines set forth by national regulatory institutions. In the United States, IRBs follow good clinical practice and clinical trial guidelines set forth by the Food and Drug Administration and assure that researchers are trained in the basic principles of human research [ 11 ]. Most IRBs are part of the academic medical center that is affiliated with the comprehensive cancer center, but commercial and free-standing IRBs exist as well.

Clinical Research Organizations

Comprehensive cancer centers may utilize either in-house or contracted organizations to assist in the conduct of clinical trials. These clinical research organizations (CROs) assist the investigator in maintaining good clinical practices in the conduct of the clinical trial [ 12 ]. A CRO can provide a diverse array of services that include clinical and regulatory support of clinical trials. Examples of clinical services include procurement and shipping of clinical samples and supplies, development of case report forms, data capture of trial outcomes, adverse event monitoring, recording and reporting, trial pre-screening, and assistance with patient education and consent. Regulatory support includes developing standard operating procedures for compliance monitoring, audits to assess for compliance to trial procedures, and support for changing and updating clinical trial documents. Regulatory staff additionally facilitate communication between the sponsors and investigators of clinical trials and assist with the registration of clinical trials and clinical trial results to public and national databases. The department head managing an in-house CRO or who contracts with hired CROs reports to the comprehensive cancer center director or deputy director.

Other Key Programs Supporting Cancer Research

The goal of comprehensive cancer centers is to apply resources to projects that are scientifically rigorous, are likely to advance cancer prevention, care, and quality of life, and have the potential for benefitting the largest amount of people. Towards that end, committees that evaluate the scientific merit, the financial feasibility, and the appropriateness of proposed research projects to the identified research needs of the population are required. Other supportive programs include an Office of Biostatistics to assist in formulating research plans as well as analyzing trial outcomes. An office of technology transfer is important in the identification of novel ideas, assistance with the development and application of these ideas, as well as protection of intellectual rights.

Clinical Care of Patients with Cancer

The complexity of cancer diagnostics, treatment, and follow-up requires care across multiple disciplines [ 13 ]. Surgeons, interventional radiologists, and clinical practitioners are utilized to obtain tissue for pathological analysis. Accurate cancer diagnosis and prognostication depends upon the availability of pathologists trained in the analysis of cancer cells and accompanying genetic and molecular profiling. Radiology services are required for cancer staging and surveillance. Clinicians experienced in the treatment and administration of chemotherapy, oncology-based pharmacists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons specializing in oncology are required for the administration of treatment and the monitoring of response. The framework for this treatment includes inpatient and outpatient treatment areas, support staff, insurance, budgetary and billing staff, housekeeping, supply chain management resources, and equipment. In free-standing comprehensive cancer centers, directors of these areas report to the cancer center director. However, in comprehensive cancer centers affiliated with university medical centers, services are shared across all disciplines, although oncology-dedicated subdivisions within these departments exist. Cancer-specific specialty services within various specialties, such as cardiology, renal, and pulmonary, have been developed for more optimal management of organ-specific toxicities related to cancer treatment. Clinicians providing cancer care in university medical center settings may have dual reporting relationships to both the comprehensive cancer center director and to hospital or university-based leadership.

Quality Monitoring in Cancer Care

Cancer care is a highly complex, high-risk, discipline characterized by rapid development of new therapies. To provide the safest and most effective care, comprehensive cancer centers must establish systems to assess and monitor the quality and safety of care. There are multiple components of a quality program, including the development of standardized processes to deliver care, monitoring adherence to established guidelines for care, assessment of compliance with established guidelines, and the development of procedures to improve care. Examples include the use of evidence-based clinical pathways when ordering chemotherapy [ 14 ], monitoring adherence to quality indicators, such as those developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and medical record auditing to monitor compliance to national best practice standards, such as those set forth by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) [ 15 ], in stem cell transplant programs. Because quality initiatives are integrated into every department in the cancer center, there is typically an executive level position in the cancer center overseeing all aspects of the quality program. This executive reports directly to the cancer center director or deputy director.

Improving the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients: Support Services

Social work.

Social work is a mandatory discipline in every comprehensive cancer center supporting every aspect of a patient’s cancer care experience. Social workers provide a wide array of patient services, including patient and family counseling and recognition of distress [ 16 ], assistance in finding financial reimbursement for medications and housing, end-of-life counseling and assistance with end-of-life issues [ 17 ]. Social workers have a broad array of responsibilities that may range from assistance in obtaining wigs, development of education programs for patients and families, or even coordinating fundraising services for patients and their families in the community. From the standpoint of continuity of care, social workers provide key information regarding the ability to obtain medications and information regarding health insurance issues as the patients move from inpatient to outpatient settings. Social workers increase the quality of cancer care by serving as a nonclinical support system.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is another aspect of cancer care that has the goal of increasing the patient’s quality of life. Palliative care specialists are physicians or advanced practice providers who address the needs of patients with life-threatening illnesses. The aim of palliative care providers is to manage symptoms and side effects of cancer care [ 18 ]. This may encompass direct interventions to treat pain, anxiety, or neuropathy related to cancer treatments. Palliative care specialists also address spiritual, social, and psychological issues with patients. In some cancer centers, oncology-specific psychiatrists are part of the palliative care team. The palliative care team, in conjunction with clinicians and social workers, also may serve as end-of-life counselors. Palliative care specialists work in a variety of settings and are often available for acute issues in the inpatient and outpatient settings.

Patients undergoing cancer care attempt to negotiate the complex health care system at a time of physical and psychological stress. Many cancer centers employ navigators to guide patients through the healthcare continuum. Navigators provide direct assistance to patients in making appointments, transferring records between offices, distributing directions to testing sites, coordinating family meetings, and providing a consistent contact for patients throughout cancer treatment. Navigators are also useful in providing consumer feedback to the cancer center to help improve services. Navigators have been shown to increase satisfaction and survival [ 19 ]. Most comprehensive cancer centers have some type of navigator services to support consistency and quality of care of patients with cancer. Registered nurses or specially trained lay people may serve as navigators in the comprehensive cancer center.

Survivorship

Survivorship refers to the physical, psychological, psychosocial, economic, and spiritual well-being of patients who have survived a cancer diagnosis [ 20 ]. Posttreatment survivorship goals include the transition back to a primary care provider for the majority of medical care, reintegration into the workforce, and return to family and social functions. This period of time in patient recovery may be marked by considerable anxiety related to both internal and external forces. Individuals recovered from cancer therapy have physical and mental challenges such as limited activity due to neuropathy, deconditioning, or osteoporosis, decreased self-confidence, or even fear of infection or relapse. Work supervisors may have concerns regarding the ability of returning employees to be fully productive. Family members, friends, and coworkers may have altered perceptions of cancer survivors resulting in relationship strain. Time missed from school or employment delays scholastic or career progression adding to frustration, stress, and anxiety. Comprehensive cancer centers support lifestyle reintegration through direct counseling and education from the clinical team, educational classes in the community sponsored by social workers, and the sponsorship of initiatives such as the buddy program, cancer survivor scholarships, beauty and support days, and job counselling.

Comprehensive cancer centers are not only central to the education of future scientists and health care providers, but also take part in the development and continuing education of employees, patients, and the public via community outreach programs. When affiliated with a university medical center, cancer centers participate in the education of medical students, house staff, laboratory-based future scientists, and students from across all health science disciplines. Care of patients with cancer and cancer research is intertwined with academic faculty support and career progression resulting in ongoing research in cancer specialty areas. Grand rounds programs with internal or external speakers educate staff and students to new scientific discovery. Cancer centers also form partnerships with community leaders, government agencies, and industry to develop community outreach programs to improve health literacy, develop early detection programs, and raise money for cancer research.

Comprehensive cancer centers are highly complex institutions responsible for the advancement of cancer research, clinical care, and education. A multitude of personnel with varying areas of expertise are responsible for the integration of all the critical cancer center activities described in this chapter. Therefore, a highly organized and functional framework is necessary to avoid overlap and address all aspects of the cancer center’s mission. Figure 2.1 displays the basic organization chart of a university-affiliated comprehensive cancer center.

Structure of a comprehensive cancer center that is affiliated with a university medical center. In this example, the mission of the comprehensive cancer center is divided into three pillars. Personnel in the Academic Pillar provide academic leadership and planning of cancer center goals. The Academic and Clinical Pillar is composed of clinician leaders who assure that the goals of the cancer center are brought to individual departments, while the Clinical Pillar is composed primarily of clinicians and other key individuals providing direct patient care. Individuals in all three pillars ultimately report to the comprehensive cancer center director

World Health Organization. Cancer. 2020. Accessed May 6, 2020 at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1 .

World Health Organization. National cancer care programmes. 2020. Accessed May 6, 2020 at: https://www.who.int/cancer/nccp/en/ .

National Cancer Institute. NCI-designated cancer centers. 2018. Accessed May 6, 2020 at: https://www.cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers .

Eckhouse S, Sullivan R. A survey of public funding of cancer research in the European union. PLoS Med. 2006;3(7):e267.

Article   Google Scholar  

Association of American Medical Colleges-AAMC. Basic science. 2020. Accessed May 6, 2020 at: https://www.aamc.org/what-we-do/mission-areas/medical-research/basic-science .

McCaskill-Stevens W, Pearson DC, Kramer BS, Ford LG, Lippman SM. Identifying and creating the next generation of community-based cancer prevention studies: summary of a National Cancer Institute think tank. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2017;10(2):99–107.

Thiese MS. Observational and interventional study design types; an overview. Biochem Med. 2014;24(2):199–210.

Rubio DM, Schoenbaum EE, Lee LS, et al. Defining translational research: implications for training. Acad Med. 2010;85(3):470–5.

Mahmood S, Levy D, Vasan R, Wang T. The Framingham Heart Study and the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease: a historical perspective. Lancet. 2014;383(9921):P999–1008.

Shenoy D, Packianathan S, Chen AM, Vijayakumar S. Do African-American men need separate prostate cancer screening guidelines? BMC Urol. 2016;16(1):19.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Institutional review boards (IRBs) protection of human subjects in clinical trials. Sept 11, 2019. Accessed May 8, 2020 at: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/institutional-review-boards-irbs-and-protection-human-subjects-clinical-trials .

World Health Organization. Handbook for good research clinical practice. 2002. Accessed May 11, 2020 at: https://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/safety_efficacy/gcp1.pdf .

Taylor C, Munro AJ, Glynne-Jones R, et al. Multidisciplinary team working in cancer: what is the evidence? BMJ. 2010;340:c951.

Ellis PG. Development and implementation of oncology care pathways in an integrated care network: the via oncology pathways experience. J Oncol Pract. 2013;9(3):171–3.

Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. Setting the global standard for top quality patient care in cellular therapies. 2020. Accessed May 12, 2020 at: http://www.factwebsite.org/ .

Pirl WF, Fann JR, Greer JA, et al. Recommendations for the implementation of distress screening programs in cancer centers: report from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS), Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW), and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) joint task force. Cancer. 2014;120(19):2946–54.

Becker F. Oncology social workers’ role in patient-centered care. 2017. Accessed May 15, 2020 at: https://www.accc-cancer.org/acccbuzz/blog-post-template/accc-buzz/2017/03/15/oncology-social-workers-role-in-patient-centered-care .

National Institute of Health: National Cancer Institute. Palliative care in cancer. 2017. Accessed May 15, 2020 at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/advanced-cancer/care-choices/palliative-care-fact-sheet .

Riley S, Riley C. The role of patient navigation in improving the value of oncology care. J Clin Pathw. 2016;2(1):41–7.

Google Scholar  

McCanney J, Winckworth-Prejsnar K, Schatz A, et al. Addressing survivorship in cancer care. J Natl Compr Cancer Netw. 2018;16(7):802–7.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Dolores Grosso & Usama Gergis

Adult Hematology and HSCT, Oncology Centre, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Mahmoud Aljurf

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dolores Grosso .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Oncology Centre, King Faisal Specialist Hosp and Res Ctr, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

Navneet S. Majhail

Stem Cell Transplantation, St George’s, University of London, London, UK

Mickey B.C. Koh

Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA

Mohamed A. Kharfan-Dabaja

Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Nelson J. Chao

Rights and permissions

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the chapter's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter.

Grosso, D., Aljurf, M., Gergis, U. (2022). Building a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Overall Structure. In: Aljurf, M., Majhail, N.S., Koh, M.B., Kharfan-Dabaja, M.A., Chao, N.J. (eds) The Comprehensive Cancer Center. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82052-7_2

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82052-7_2

Published : 29 October 2021

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-82051-0

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-82052-7

eBook Packages : Medicine Medicine (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

DigitalCommons@RISD

• < Previous

Home > Graduate Studies > Masters Theses > 669

• Masters Theses

Healing through architecture: role of architecture in promoting healing in cancer care settings

Vrindha Vijay , Rhode Island School of Design Follow

Date of Award

Spring 6-1-2021

Document Type

Degree name.

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Architecture

First Advisor

Second advisor.

Jonathan Knowles

Architecture creates the ambience and frame of mind for the carer, who then passes it on to the patients. It is the physical space that provides us to feel a certain way or experience a set peacefulness. Humans tend to react to spaces around them to connect emotionally and physically. And in that sense, Architecture is key. The focus, thus far, in most healthcare centers have been on clinical care rather than the soft services. Today, Architecture is striving to make a better environment that can contribute to patients’ healing, recovery, and well-being.

The goal of this thesis is to facilitate the processes of caring and healing through the redesign of a cancer care center. The project will establish relationships between experience, empathy and architectural environment. The design should aim to reduce patient and family stress. To achieve this goal, architecture must eliminate environmental stress, poor lighting, and the lack of private spaces to allow the patients to take complete advantage of the space they are in.

When one finds themselves in a situation that conquers their abilities to fight their inner stress, they begin to rely on external factors. It is the physical space they are in that allows them to connect their emotions. The fact that hospitals ignore the importance of design in providing emotional and stress-free care for their patients is something one needs to reflect upon. This thesis explores the relationship between healing and architecture and focuses on cancer patients and their caretakers/caregivers in particular.

How can the physical space of a care center be used to enable emotional, physical and psychic well-being for patients and caregivers?

View exhibition online: Vrindha Vijay, HEALING through ARCHITECTURE

Recommended Citation

Vijay, Vrindha, "Healing through architecture: role of architecture in promoting healing in cancer care settings" (2021). Masters Theses . 669. https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/669

Creative Commons License

Since July 12, 2021

Included in

Architecture Commons

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately, you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.

• All Collections
• Departments
• Online Exhibitions
• Disciplines

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Contributor Info

• Contributor FAQ
• Submit Research
• RISD Graduate Studies

Permissions

• Terms of Use

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

© HKS Inc 2024

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use

August 8, 2018

Designing Cancer Care Facilities of the Future

• Upali Nanda, PhD
• Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation

In the past 20 years, cancer-related mortality rates have dropped by nearly 25 percent, a trend that is expected to continue as smoking decreases and detection and treatment options improve. In addition, the 5-year survival rate for all cancers jumped from 49 percent in 1977 to 69 percent in 2011.

Yet for those diagnosed with the disease and their loved ones, finding a way to effectively fight cancer, even as they survive it, is difficult. The seismic paradigm shift shows that cancer care now operates on a continuum of prevention, risk reduction, screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Now comes the question of whether architecture – “place” – can help in the fight against cancer by becoming a nonpharmacological intervenor, a passive member of the care team and a constant friend to the patient? How much can the design of a physical environment help cancer patients, and their caregivers, as they navigate their life-changing journey?

To help find answers, HKS partnered with Dr. Bita Kash, via the NSF-CHOT program  (National Science Foundation-Center for Health Organization Transformation). Kash and her team did a systematic review of the literature published in the Journal of Integrative Oncology.  We also had the opportunity of speaking to some industry leaders in the field and gain insights. Finally, we did a series of internal brainstorming charrettes to think of what these insights mean to our profession.

Here are five things we learned:

1. there is a paradigm shift:.

Medicine is moving toward a preventive, predictive, personalized, and participative approach. This is the new mandate for cancer care as it moves from a terminal to a chronic disease.

2. Five Care Models are Emerging:

These models define how health care is delivered and the best practices for treatment of individuals or groups as they progress through the stages of their illness:

• The Hub and Spoke  model focuses on providing appropriate cancer care to those who need it by extending geographic reach by connecting hubs that are centers of excellence to locations with community in-reach through a connected organizational fabric
• The Integrated Practice Unit  calls for a value-based approach through a carefully defined set of medically integrated services and practices, and a dedicated team of clinical and non-clinical staff organized around the patients and their specific needs.
• The Rapid Learning Cancer Care model allows for the gathering and study of patient data on a large scale, then uses that information to aid in the delivery of medicine
• The Tumor Review Board , allows a wide range of specialists to review and discuss a patient’s tumor and the best treatment plan for that individual, which maintains the personalized medicine directive.
• The Psycho-Social Care  model allows for the assessment of a cancer patient’s psycho-social distress, then matches that patient’s level of distress to their level of care.

3. Actionable Design Strategies are in Place:

Cancer care facilities now must respond to these emerging models of care with greater focus on several environmental attributes including a larger emphasis on data and diagnostics, hyper-collaborative workspaces, and significant patient empathy, and empowerment. The report contains various examples of facilities that are using design strategies to support the care models outlined above. Some key features are described below:

 4. Health Systems are Evolving Rapidly:

Many systems are already designing places that allow and promote these progressive models of care. For example, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Phoenix is a spoke emanating from its hub, the M.D. Anderson Texas Medical Center in Houston, with core programs seamlessly connected to the hub so that there is no drop-off in patient care throughout the system.

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center

At Parkview Cancer Center in Fort Wayne, IN, the Hospital Outpatient Department focuses on disease sites and includes imaging, labs, infusion and radiology/oncology as part of the rapid learning model. Designed spaces accommodate large tumor boards that allow local and virtual participation and multidisciplinary care is hyper-focused on specific tumor sites and cases.

Parkview Cancer Institute

At Presence Health, a one-stop shop allows services ranging from proton therapy to nutrition & behavioral health. Flexible design concepts support the integration of behavioral health professionals, social workers, financial counselors and patient navigators into the care team.

In Texas, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center has opened the Fort Worth Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Coalition unit. The specially-designed unit allows young adults diagnosed with cancer novel ways to confront and deal with the psychological and social challenges that the disease can create at a time in their lives when they are the most emotionally vulnerable.

A Design That Gets Teens Talking: FWAYAOC

5. personalized medicine can lead to personalized place:.

The field of cancer center design sits on the precipice of a revolution in thought. As we explore the personalized medicine approach and think of place as a core tenet of a patient’s treatment plan, it leads us to consider other adventurous possibilities. For example:

• What if doctors prescribed a diet of places that could make you feel better, which was unique to your personalized care plan?
• What if design could reduce our dependence on drugs by leveraging place as a non-pharmacological intervention to manage pain, anxiety and stress [a lot of strong evidence supports how environments, especially biophilic environments, can improve outcomes]?
• What if our environments could rapidly learn our needs and respond with personalized environments [control over lighting, temperature, privacy, configuration, connection to information and community etc.] that improved our experience and clinical care?

We see this body of work as a catalyst research project, meant to spark design innovation and research investigation at multiple scales. This is only the start of a conversation. Please join us.

Cookies on the HKS website We use cookies on our website. By continuing to use this site, without changing your settings, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy.

Design Of Cancer Center

Journal title, journal issn, volume title, description, collections.

ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst

• < Previous

Home > ETDS > Masters Theses > 508

Masters Theses

Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.

Dissertations that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.

HUMANITY IN A CHILDREN’S CANCER HOSPITAL

Sara Jandaghi Jafari , University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow

Access Type

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Degree program.

Architecture

Degree Type

Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)

Year Degree Awarded

Month degree awarded.

Children, who are the future of the country, are the most important asset. If cancer in children is diagnosed at an early stage, effective precautionary measures can be taken in order to save their lives. Children sense their physical space in a very immediate and detailed manner and their response to spaces can be far more direct and energetic than adults. For children, visiting hospitals can be particularly difficult emotionally, as they are stressed by ill-health, painful medical procedures.

The objectives of this research are first to understand what constitutes a supportive pediatric setting from children’s and adolescents’ perspectives and try to explore the role of architecture in making hospital stays more pleasant. Second, to define a vision for the sustainable hospital design movement; and third, to illustrate the value of participatory research for healthcare design. The outline is a new design of the children hospital and how architectural design steps can be taken to improve cancer patients’ care.

https://doi.org/10.7275/10097158

First Advisor

Kathleen Lugosch

Second Advisor

Ajla Aksamija

Recommended Citation

Jandaghi Jafari, Sara, "HUMANITY IN A CHILDREN’S CANCER HOSPITAL" (2017). Masters Theses . 508. https://doi.org/10.7275/10097158 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/508

Since July 11, 2017

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Submission Guidelines
• Login for Faculty Authors
• Faculty Author Gallery
• Submit Thesis
• University Libraries
• UMass Amherst

This page is sponsored by the University Libraries.

© 2009 University of Massachusetts Amherst • Site Policies

Privacy Copyright

Maintenance work is planned for Wednesday 1st May 2024 from 9:00am to 11:00am (BST).

During this time, the performance of our website may be affected - searches may run slowly and some pages may be temporarily unavailable. If this happens, please try refreshing your web browser or try waiting two to three minutes before trying again.

We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause and thank you for your patience.

RSC Advances

Rational design of a lysosome-targeted fluorescent probe for monitoring the generation of hydroxyl radicals in ferroptosis pathways †.

* Corresponding authors

a Department of Pharmacy, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, Hainan, China

b Department of Pharmacy, Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, Hainan, China

c Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering School, Hunan Chemical Vocational Technology College, Zhuzhou, China

d Department of Pharmacy, Tropical Agricultural Technology College, Hainan Vocational University, Haikou, Hainan, China

e Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Hainan Cancer Hospital, Haikou, Hainan, China E-mail: [email protected]

Ferroptosis is a newly discovered iron-dependent form of regulated cell death associated with high levels of hydroxyl radical (˙OH) production. Meanwhile, lysosome dysfunction has been shown to be one of the causes of ferroptosis. Although a variety of ˙OH-responsive fluorescent probes have been developed for detecting intracellular ˙OH in living cells, there are still only few lysosome-targeted probes to monitor the variation in lysosomal ˙OH levels during ferroptosis. Herein, we report a novel ˙OH-specific fluorescent probe HCy-Lyso, which is composed of the hydrocyanine and morpholine moiety. Upon treatment with ˙OH, its hydrocyanine unit was converted to the corresponding cyanine group, thus leading to a large π-conjugation extension of HCy-Lyso, accompanied by a significant fluorescence off–on response. Moreover, after reacting with ˙OH in an acidic environment, the protonation product of HCy-Lyso exhibits a higher fluorescence enhancement, which is suitable for detecting lysosomal ˙OH variation. HCy-Lyso has been utilized for imaging endogenous ˙OH in living cells under phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) stimuli and monitoring the changes in lysosomal ˙OH levels during ferroptosis. Thus, our study proposes a new strategy to design lysosome-targeted and ˙OH-responsive fluorescent probes to investigate the relationship between lysosomes and ferroptosis.

Supplementary files

• Supplementary information PDF (996K)

Transparent peer review

To support increased transparency, we offer authors the option to publish the peer review history alongside their article.

View this article’s peer review history

Article information

Download Citation

Permissions.

Rational design of a lysosome-targeted fluorescent probe for monitoring the generation of hydroxyl radicals in ferroptosis pathways

L. Zhong, D. Fu, J. Xu, L. Tan, H. Wu and M. Wang, RSC Adv. , 2024,  14 , 12864 DOI: 10.1039/D4RA00562G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence . You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication , please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content .

Social activity

Search articles by author, advertisements.

Victor Mukhin

• Scientific Program

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

However, up to now, the main carriers of catalytic additives have been mineral sorbents: silica gels, alumogels. This is obviously due to the fact that they consist of pure homogeneous components SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively. It is generally known that impurities, especially the ash elements, are catalytic poisons that reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst. Therefore, carbon sorbents with 5-15% by weight of ash elements in their composition are not used in the above mentioned technologies. However, in such an important field as a gas-mask technique, carbon sorbents (active carbons) are carriers of catalytic additives, providing effective protection of a person against any types of potent poisonous substances (PPS). In ESPE “JSC "Neorganika" there has been developed the technology of unique ashless spherical carbon carrier-catalysts by the method of liquid forming of furfural copolymers with subsequent gas-vapor activation, brand PAC. Active carbons PAC have 100% qualitative characteristics of the three main properties of carbon sorbents: strength - 100%, the proportion of sorbing pores in the pore space – 100%, purity - 100% (ash content is close to zero). A particularly outstanding feature of active PAC carbons is their uniquely high mechanical compressive strength of 740 ± 40 MPa, which is 3-7 times larger than that of  such materials as granite, quartzite, electric coal, and is comparable to the value for cast iron - 400-1000 MPa. This allows the PAC to operate under severe conditions in moving and fluidized beds.  Obviously, it is time to actively develop catalysts based on PAC sorbents for oil refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and various technologies of organic synthesis.

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Quick Links

• Conference Brochure
• Tentative Program

Current time by city

For example, New York

Current time by country

For example, Japan

Time difference

For example, London

For example, Dubai

Coordinates

For example, Hong Kong

For example, Delhi

For example, Sydney

Geographic coordinates of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia

City coordinates

Coordinates of Elektrostal in decimal degrees

Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

Elevation above sea level is a measure of a geographic location’s height. We are using the global digital elevation model GTOPO30 .

Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia