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For the greater part of the last century, a diagnosis of cancer was virtually a death sentence. By 1970 it was clear that effort and resources had to be mobilized to find a cure. In 1971 President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, conferring substantial money and authority into the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and providing for the creation of the nation’s first comprehensive care centers. When the NCI designated the LAC+USC Medical Center as one of the original comprehensive cancer centers in 1973, plans were already underway for the consolidation of its cancer research and treatment areas into one facility. At the time it was one of only eight such centers in the country, and the designation as a leader in the field further fueled the dream to combine under one roof leading-edge research with excellent patient care and a learning opportunity for physicians. However, the attempt to realize this dream ran into many obstacles over many years, including a failed bond measure. In 1976 Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. rescued the struggling plan with $500,000 of his own funds, then decided to contribute an additional $4.5 million from the Norris Foundation.
The USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center opened in 1983 as the only hospital in the southwest United States dedicated solely to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. With separate floors devoted to research, diagnosis, and treatment, the layout of the 150,000-square-foot building pioneered the concept of translational medicine—the rapid translation of fundamental scientific research findings to patients in the hospital. Since its establishment, the USC/Norris has consistently garnered an “excellent” rating from the NCI and is in the top echelon of the nation’s 40 comprehensive cancer centers. In addition to generating groundbreaking research and providing exemplary care, the center helps ease patients’ anxieties and promote well-being with a sense of intimacy, warmth, and quiet efficiency—what is often referred to as the “Norris Spirit.”
Today nearly half of all cancer patients can expect to live for five or more years after the diagnosis of cancer, thanks to research that has developed therapies ranging from chemotherapy to bone marrow transplants, immunology to molecular genetics. Cancer research has led to birth of biotechnology, a field that promises even greater advances. The quest to find a cure prompted the Norris Foundation to contribute a lead gift of $15 million towards the building of a 190,000-square-foot research tower. The Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower will double the center’s research space, affording scientists sufficient room and technology to continue their commitment, allowing for the growth and consolidation of current promising research programs, and attracting the finest clinical, basic, and epidemiological researchers.
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