Detroit is known for institutions whose influence reaches beyond the city. One of those institutions is in Midtown: the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, part of McLaren Health Care. Karmanos is a destination for specialized cancer care and research. It’s headquartered in Detroit and anchors a network serving families across Michigan.
When it comes to cancer care, reach can become personal. A metro Detroiter may have a parent near Bay City, a sibling in Lansing or a friend in northern Michigan who needs cancer care. Karmanos’ Detroit headquarters anchors one of the nation’s largest cancer networks, with 17 locations statewide. The Karmanos Cancer Network (Cancer Network) treats more than 15,000 new cancer cases each year, connecting care close to home with comprehensive cancer expertise.
“Comprehensive cancer center” has a specific meaning. Karmanos is Detroit’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and Michigan’s first, a distinction maintained since 1978. It recognizes strength in research, early-phase trials, community education, and translating discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. More than an accolade, the NCI designation signals a system designed to bring scientific knowledge into patient care.
This distinction matters in conversations between patients and their care teams. Karmanos oncologists can consider multiple treatment options, including promising therapies studied through one of the nation’s largest clinical trials programs.
“Patients who come to Karmanos for cancer care may be eligible for treatments that are not available at other centers in the state or country,” said Boris C. Pasche, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, president and CEO, and principal investigator of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Core Grant for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.
Through Karmanos’ clinical trials program, eligible patients may access therapies not yet widely available. Conducting these clinical studies at Karmanos means the institution, together with its academic partner, Wayne State University School of Medicine, is helping to establish tomorrow’s standard of care today. Newly approved treatments that are tested at Karmanos can move quickly into practice, giving physicians more ways to tailor care.
“Almost 70% of all new drugs and immunotherapies used for cancer are tested at Karmanos before being approved by the FDA. We are often able to give our patients access to these new therapies earlier in their disease course before they are commercially available,” continued Dr. Pasche.
“We are proud to have held our NCI designation for nearly 50 years and to be at the forefront of developing promising cancer therapies that other hospitals and health organizations can use in the future for their patients.”
Although the NCI designation is held by the Detroit center, patients need not live nearby to benefit. Network physicians can collaborate with main-campus specialists, review complex cases and coordinate next steps. A family member elsewhere in Michigan can begin care near home while remaining connected to Karmanos’ standards and expertise.
“Karmanos stands out in the field of cancer research and treatment, as well as cancer screening and prevention programs, and we’re able to provide these opportunities to patients outside of Southeast Michigan through the Karmanos Cancer Network,” said Brian Gamble, president of Karmanos Cancer Hospital and Cancer Network. “McLaren widens the door for more patients to experience the Karmanos Advantage and receive the best care no matter where they live.”
The Cancer Network also connects patients with Detroit-based genetic counseling and multidisciplinary teams. For complex treatment, local physicians can collaborate with specialists at the main campus. Options may include bone marrow and stem cell transplants, CAR T-cell therapy, gamma knife radiosurgery, phase I clinical trials, proton therapy, and radiopharmaceuticals.
For metro Detroit, Karmanos is a hometown asset whose research, experts and treatments strengthen cancer care statewide. For Michigan families, the reassurance is simple: wherever a diagnosis happens, a nearby Karmanos location can provide a path into a system equipped for rare, complex and life-changing cancers. Learn more at karmanos.org/karmanosadvantage.
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