The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston announced that it has finalized a 10-year agreement with Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, Brazil, to develop a multidisciplinary oncology program at the hospital.
The collaborative effort will involve the full spectrum of cancer care at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. Programmatic development will include radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, diagnostic imaging, nursing, pathology, and pharmacy, according to MD Anderson. Centers of excellence will also be developed, beginning in breast, prostate, thoracic, gastrointestinal and hematology, and will eventually extend to all cancer diagnoses.
The agreement represents an expansion of a longstanding relationship between the two institutions. The São Paulo hospital became MD Anderson's first formal sister institution in 2002, leading to a number of academic exchanges. Starting in 2008, prior agreements between the two hospitals resulted in the launch of multidisciplinary breast and genitourinary clinics, as well as a redesign of oncology facilities to centralize services and optimize the patient experience.
An estimated 520,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in Brazil each year.
