CLEVELAND -- In a move that will strengthen Cleveland's position as a leader in cancer research and treatment, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has more than doubled the funding for the Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University, while renewing its designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The comprehensive cancer center status is the highest level of recognition that the NCI awards. Among other cancer centers with this designation are Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York and M.D. Andersen Cancer Center in Houston.

The Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals/CWRU is the only cancer center in Northern Ohio with this distinguished ranking.

The NCI will provide the center with nearly $20 million over five years. This funding will support both basic science and clinical research, and will greatly expand the number of clinical trials available to cancer patients in this region. That means patients will have easier access to the most promising drug treatments and technologies.

"This is a vital resource for the people of Northern Ohio," said James Willson, director of the cancer center and the Robert W. Kellermeyer Professor of Oncology. "The NCI's continued support of the work we do here strengthens Cleveland's efforts to become a national leader in biomedical research."

Members of the cancer center receive more than $55 million each year from the National Institutes of Health and other private funding sources for cancer research at CWRU and UHC, according to Willson.

In its review of the Ireland Cancer Center, the NCI described the center's leadership as "outstanding" and rated the center itself as "outstanding to excellent," in which "the whole entity of the cancer center is much greater than the sum of its parts."

"Advancing patient care through scientific discovery is the hallmark of the Ireland Cancer Center," said Willson. "As a comprehensive cancer center, we are committed to pioneering new cancer treatments and improving the overall health of our community through cancer prevention programs."

Willson has been director of the cancer center since May 1995 and is recognized as one of the nation's leaders in colon cancer research. He leads a staff of nearly 200 researchers, scientists, and physicians who are involved in a variety of exciting new approaches to cancer treatment.

The cancer center has built an extensive network of community-based cancer centers designed to bring clinical trials and advanced treatments closer to patients' homes. The Ireland Cancer Center provides services in Canton, Mentor, Middleburg Heights, Orange Village, and Westlake.

As an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, the Ireland Cancer Center provides physicians, patients and the community with a valuable public service resource: the Ireland Cancer Center Information Service. The service logs nearly 4,000 calls each year, providing advice, referrals, and information about ongoing clinical trials, current cancer research and treatment, and the cancer prevention, screening, and education programs. The phone number is 800-641-2422.