Cancer Research

The South Carolina Cancer Center is a research partnership between the University of South Carolina and Palmetto Health. The SCCC includes more than 70 members, involved in various aspects of cancer research, education, and clinical care at USC and affiliated institutions. Additionally, some 20 clinicians/ clinician scientists are involved in the day-to-day aspects of cancer care at the South Carolina Oncology Associates (SCOA) (LINK: http://www.sconcology.net/) , the Dorn VA Medical Center , and Palmetto Health.  To view
the most current SCCC Newsletter, click here.

SCCC members conducting cancer research at USC can be found in the Schools of Medicine and Public Health; Colleges of Science and Mathematics, Liberal Arts, and Pharmacy; the Dorn VA Medical Center ; and at the interdisciplinary SCCC Basic Science Laboratories, at Medical Park 14, Suite 500, on the Palmetto Health Richland campus. SCCC cancer research programs involve not only USC investigators, but also investigators at MUSC and the Greenville Hospital System.  Arnold School of Public Health professor James Hebert, Director of Cancer prevention and Control at the SCCC, is also the director for cancer prevention and control research at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, and leads a state-wide program for cancer prevention and control with a specific focus on cancer disparities that affect directly the South Carolina population. At USC’s Center for Colon Cancer Research,  Dr. Franklin Berger leads researchers focused on molecular, biochemical, genetic, and lifestyle factors affecting colorectal cancer and its therapy. The center is also recruiting young assistant professors to the SCCC in the School of Medicine (pathology-microbiology), College of Science and Mathematics (biological sciences), and the College of Pharmacy (basic pharmaceutical sciences) to increase the number of active, National Institutes of Health funded biomedical researchers in South Carolina working on the problem of colorectal cancer.  Dr. Michael Wargovich leads the Cancer Chemoprevention program, which also has state-wide reach through the SC Alliance for Cancer Chemoprevention. Strong clinical programs exist at or around the SCCC in breast cancer research, and the SCCC is striving to complement this wealth of clinical activities with equally strong basic science work in the breast cancer area. The Breast Cancer working group meets regularly to promote interactions among the investigators involved in breast cancer research that will lead to collaborative research programs. Cervical cancer is an area of strength in the basic science and cancer prevention and control arenas, and we are working at increasing interactions with the clinical side in this important area. Finally, our strengths in prostate cancer research are being capitalized upon to create a cohesive prostate cancer program. Other emerging areas of interest are head and neck and thoracic cancer.

SCCC researchers access significant core facilities for basic and clinical research as well as state-of-the-art basic cancer research laboratories at the S.C. Cancer Center at Palmetto Health’s 14 Medical Park. These include: microarrays: genechip printing and reading, a tissue bank, an animal facility, cancer histopathology core (SCCC and VA), confocal imaging, statistical analysis biometry, and a high-speed information corridor (see core facilities, http://www.biomedical.sc.edu/resources_programs.shtml).