SF Cancer Initiative is Tackling the Five Deadliest Cancers in San Francisco
To figure out where to start, scientists ran an analysis of cancer cases in San Francisco based on state registries and national data sources.
Three years ago, Dr. Robert A. Hiatt and his partners in the San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN) posed the question, “What can a world-class university working with key collaborators do to impact cancer rates in its community?” Now they’re beginning to see some answers.
Launched in 2016 and sponsored by the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and its Director, Dr. Alan Ashworth, SF CAN wants to make a measurable impact on five of the most common cancers in the city: breast, colorectal, liver, lung and other tobacco-related cancers, and prostate. Together, these five most common cancers account for 50% of cancer-related deaths in the city; in San Francisco, cancer is the number one cause of death. Heart disease is the second.