A Letter from the President
Dear Readers
David G. Nathan, M.D., President
Although we have yet to declare victory in the war against cancer, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute we are making significant progress on many fronts: in our understanding of the molecular and cellular level of the disease and in the development of new, more effective prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies. This success is due, in part, to the collective efforts of the talented researchers we have brought together at Dana-Farber.
In this issue of Paths of Progress, we introduce you to some of these brilliant men and women, whose pioneering work is known and respected around the world. We are proud to welcome them to the Dana-Farber community. Progress in the coming years will also be the result of advances in cancer diagnosis, which are discussed in our cover feature. Just over the horizon are technologies that will make it possible to detect cancer at ever-earlier stages and with unprecedented precision. These will enable doctors to treat diseases earlier, target therapies more precisely, and determine sooner whether treatment is effective.
One way we can ensure that the steady pace of progress that characterized the previous half-century continues into the next century is through collaboration in all areas of cancer research. In this issue, you will read about the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, a unique collaboration that places the Institute at the hub of a cancer research system that includes seven major Harvard-affiliated institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber, Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Massachusetts General Hospital. In our next issue, we will update you about our initiatives in this exciting collaboration.
We hope you find this issue, which includes our 1999 Annual Report, interesting and informative. As always, we encourage you to contact the editor with any suggestions and comments you may have.
David G. Nathan, M.D.
President, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Paths of Progress, Winter/Spring 2000
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