Kentucky Cancer Care Network Marks 20 Years: From 3 Community Hospitals to 20 Sites Statewide
The University of Kentucky looked back on October 22 on its official news platform, UKNow: the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network (MCCAN), founded in 2006, has now operated for 20 years. It began with just three community hospitals — Harrison Memorial, Rockcastle Regional and St. Claire Regional — and has grown to 20 sites across the state, carrying the expertise of Kentucky's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center into local communities.
Network medical director Tim Mullett said the network's purpose is not to replace the local doctors and hospitals patients know, but to strengthen local cancer programs while opening referral pathways for patients who need more specialized care — "higher-quality cancer care, right at the patient's doorstep" is the network's motto. Under this hybrid model, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation and some surgeries can be done at community hospitals, while complex surgeries, CAR-T cell therapy, bone marrow transplants and clinical trials are referred to the Markey Center in Lexington. More than 1,000 patients a year now receive coordinated care through network referrals, returning to their local teams for follow-up after treatment.
As a condition of membership, affiliate programs must earn quality accreditation from the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer (CoC), and the network provides education, quality improvement and compliance support. Since 2015 the network has also brought clinical research into community hospitals. Mullett noted that Kentucky historically ranks near the top nationally in lung cancer incidence, but screening rates have risen above the national average in recent years, late-stage diagnoses have fallen and survival has improved. The state's five most common cancers — lung, breast, colorectal, prostate and melanoma — all have established early screening methods, and the next phase will focus on further expanding screening and prevention.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：肯塔基大学 Margaret I. King 图书馆。摄影：Mhuy222，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: The Margaret I. King Library at the University of Kentucky. Photo by Mhuy222, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
