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MIDLAND ¨D Experts from Â鶹ӳ»­ MD Anderson Cancer Center presented the Making Cancer History^? Seminar and Luncheon yesterday at the Petroleum Club in Midland, TX. Generously underwritten by Paula Henry and The Henry Foundation, the educational seminar and luncheon drew nearly 200 attendees from the Permian Basin community to hear Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson, and , vice president and clinical head of Therapeutics Discovery, share the latest updates in cancer patient care, research, prevention and education.

¡°I am grateful to our friends in Midland for welcoming us back to West Texas,¡± Pisters said. ¡°This is a big moment in the transformation of cancer care. Like no other time in? MD Anderson's history, ?we are poised to maximize ?our impact on humanity to finally end cancer.¡±

MD Anderson provides life-saving care to patients in West Texas
Since MD Anderson's doors opened in 1944, more than 10,000 Midland/Odessa area residents have sought care at the institution ¡ª with more than 1,000 of those patients seen in the last year alone. As cancer incidence estimates increase across the country, this region is predicted to see significant, 10-year growth across all cancer types. As such, MD Anderson's work to expand the institution's clinical reach, to elevate the patient experience and to expedite scientific breakthroughs is ¡ª and will continue to be ¡ª crucial to the health of residents in the Permian Basin.

Pisters noted that MD Anderson runs the largest clinical trials program in the nation, with 10,000+ patients enrolled in 1,500+ clinical trials. In Fiscal Year 2024, MD Anderson invested $1.3 billion in research, was awarded 188 patents and received Food and Drug Administration approval for 27 drugs tested at the institution.

Leading breakthroughs in genomic research
Yap presented his groundbreaking research on genetic abnormalities, such as BRCA mutations and genome instability. Since joining MD Anderson in 2016, Yap has leveraged the world's largest BRCA patient base and clinical trials program at MD Anderson to conduct first-in-human clinical trials of new targeted therapies for cancer patients with genetic abnormalities. Yap and his team have developed the first targeted therapy pill that is approved in different cancers for patients with inherited and non-inherited BRCA and other mutations. He and his team hope to build on this success and use this approach as a blueprint beyond BRCA mutations.

¡°Our vision is to bring together clinical, translational and basic science research expertise from across MD Anderson to advance prevention and treatment approaches for patients,¡± Yap said. ¡°Then, we implement strategies that follow the individual at every stage of their journey ¡ª from mutation detection to cancer diagnosis to the need for treatment ¡ª personalizing their care and bringing those data back to the lab to continue informing our research.¡±

Local patient shares his cancer story
Midland local, Danny Wesson, also shared his experience as a cancer survivor and MD Anderson patient. In 2009 at age 25, Wesson was diagnosed with conjunctival melanoma in his right eye. He was treated with surgery and received survivorship care at MD Anderson for more than a decade. Wesson has been cancer-free for more than 15 years.

¡°My most vivid MD Anderson memory is walking up to the front desk for the first time and being greeted with an attitude that said, ¡®We've got this,¡¯¡± Wesson said. ¡°This attitude gave me so much hope and reverberated throughout every encounter and every appointment over the years.¡± 

Wesson and his wife, Reagan, will serve as event chairs for the second annual Boo Bash in the Basin fundraising event this fall. The Wessons were instrumental in the success of the inaugural event last year, which raised more than half a million dollars for cell therapy at MD Anderson.

About the Making Cancer History^? Seminar
²Ñ¶Ù&²Ô²ú²õ±è;´¡²Ô»å±ð°ù²õ´Ç²Ô¡¯²õ Making Cancer History^? series of educational seminars began in Aspen, CO, in 1999. Since then, the institution has used the series to spread knowledge and awareness to various cities throughout the country, including Palm Beach, FL; Sarasota, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Indian Wells, CA; Midland, TX; Austin, TX; San Antonio, TX; and globally through virtual seminars during the pandemic.

MD Anderson extends a special thanks to Paula Henry and The Henry Foundation for underwriting this year's educational seminar and luncheon in Midland.