A new $100 million donation will help cancer research and treatment organization City of Hope establish a new evidence-based “integrative oncology” program that blends Eastern and Western medicine, the Los Angeles organization announced Tuesday.
The gift, which is the single largest philanthropic contribution in City of Hope’s history, comes from the co-founders and co-CEOs of food chain Panda Express, Andrew and Peggy Cherng.
Their money will help kick off the Cherng Family Center for Integrative Oncology at City of Hope and its work to explore unique treatments, oncology fellowships and other cancer research that could be scaled across the organization’s national system, according to the announcement.
“Innovative and holistic care is part of our culture and mission; we are committed to supporting and treating the whole patient—not just the cancer,” City of Hope CEO Robert Stone said in a statement thanking the Cherngs for their gift. “I am honored that our cancer expertise, world-class research environment, national patient population, robust clinical trials program and compassionate ethos have prepared City of Hope to lead this work.”
Integrative medicine therapies pull from non-pharmacologic interventions to improve quality of life, such as by lessening pain or relieving anxiety. The organizations pointed to data suggesting an estimated 40% of cancer patients turn to these approaches to help manage their condition. Research has also outlined the benefits practices like music therapy, acupuncture, mindfulness meditation and massage therapy could bring patients.
More research on traditional Chinese medicine and other Eastern healing traditions often tapped into integrative medicine “could result in evidence-based insights that fuel the development of more effective cancer medicines and care,” the organizations said in their announcement. Few organizations, particularly cancer centers, currently provide access to these whole-person practices under physician supervision, they said.
In addition to accelerating research on these approaches as part of cancer care, the Cherng Family Center for Integrative Oncology will develop education and training programs for cancer care providers. City of Hope said it plans to have an oncologist-led fellowship in place “within the next year.”
Leading the new center will be Richard T. Lee, M.D., a City of Hope researcher and practitioner who serves as medical director of the organization’s Integrative Medicine Program. Lee’s practice “augments the latest in cancer care” with acupuncture, meditation and yoga, traditional medicine approaches he was exposed to during a post-residency Fulbright scholarship to China Medical University in Taiwan.
Though the integrative oncology programs will be piloted at City of Hope Los Angeles and across California’s Orange County, the organization said it plans to develop a platform to track clinical data and other scalable infrastructure to eventually expand the programs to City of Hope’s nationwide footprint.
“The Cherng Family Center for Integrative Oncology will be the epicenter of translational research, new drug development and holistic care that meets a pressing need for patients and enhances our connection to the diverse communities we serve,” Edward S. Kim, M.D., vice physician-in-chief for City of Hope National Medical Center, said in the announcement.
The Cherng’s Panda Charitable Family Foundation has long supported City of Hope with funds for research into natural cancer therapies and other sponsorships and donations supporting pediatric patients, according to the announcement. The organization has raised over $329 million since 1999, including more than $150 million for pediatric care charity Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, according to its website.
“Panda Restaurant Group began 50 years ago with a vision to bring the best of Eastern and Western flavors and cultures together through food,” Peggy Cherng said in the announcement. “In the same spirit, we hope the Cherng Family Center of Integrative Oncology becomes a model of bringing the best of Eastern and Western medicine together to unlock holistic healing for our communities.”