Cancer Institute

 An American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer approved facility

For all the advances in cancer research over the past half century, cancer remains second only to heart disease as a cause of death in Americans. At West Penn Allegheny Cancer Institute (WPACI), a multi-disciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, hematologists, and surgeons battle cancer on all fronts, using some of the most comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services available anywhere.

Our leadership in the fight against cancer involves a long history of being among the first- if not the first- to give our patients the diagnostic and treatment services they need: the first hospice program in Pittsburgh, the first dedicated breast diagnostic imaging center, the first to study the benefits of combining radiation and surgery to cure certain types of lung cancer, among the first to employ cryosurgery to freeze and kill tumors, first in the region to initiate radiation therapy for the treatment of tumors before World War II, the first to acquire the most full-field digital mammography technologies. 

As a result, our hospitals collectively continue to bring nearly two centuries of expertise in cancer treatment and research to patients throughout the region and often the nation. Yet, leadership is more than getting there first. It's about going beyond what is known into the unknown to find new ways of preventing, pinpointing, and killing cancer. 

Research projects conducted at West Penn Allegheny Health System's two tertiary hospitals and four community hospitals have yielded landmark advances in bone marrow transplantation and radiation oncology, along with improved treatments for brain tumors, breast cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, and prostate cancer. 

West Penn Allegheny Cancer Institute's participation in clinical trials sponsored by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Cancer and Leukemia Group-B, and North Central Cancer Treatment Group gives patients the opportunity to benefit from the newest treatment modalities. We collaborate closely on research efforts with many community hospitals to bring the latest clinical advances to patients close to their homes. 

West Penn Allegheny Cancer Institute is also committed to helping patients receive specialized medical oncology care in their own communities. Through the West Penn Allegheny Oncology Network and Radiation Oncology Networks, patients can receive superior medical, hematology, and radiation oncology services in convenient community-based locations throughout Western Pennsylvania.