(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series about recent UNMC developments in China. Tomorrow UNMC Today will feature a story about family medicine activities in Xi’an.)
Lymphoma and leukemia care in China will improve thanks to the creation of the Sino-U.S. Center for Lymphoma and Leukemia in Tianjin.
The center is a collaboration between UNMC and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital and Institute (TMUCHI).
It is a boon in China, where care lags for lymphoma, said Kai Fu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology.
“It’s the timely diagnosis and correct classification of lymphoma that is the biggest problem,” said Dr. Fu, an alumnus of Tianjin Medical University. “With more than 60 different types/subtypes of lymphoma, it’s critical to know exactly what type/subtype a patient has.”
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From right: Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance, and Kai Fu, M.D., associate professor in the department of pathology and microbiology, speak to media members at the agreement ceremony for the Sino-U.S. Center for Lymphoma and Leukemia in Tianjin. |
The center enables:
- TMUCHI to send tissue samples of difficult cases to UNMC to insure a proper diagnosis;
- UNMC to train TMUCHI personnel to enhance clinical and diagnostic skills; and
- Basic and clinical research collaborations such as parallel clinical trials.
The clinical, research and educational components of the center excite James Armitage, M.D., who started UNMC’s lymphoma program in 1982. His sentiments were echoed by Julie Vose, M.D., chief of the hematology and oncology section at UNMC, who said China’s dense population and large incidence of lymphoma will allow for powerful joint clinical trials.
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And TMUCHI’s capability to bank frozen tissue samples will greatly enhance the research cooperation, he said.
Dr. Fu said the partnership between UNMC and his alma mater is a “dream come true.”