The Providence Swedish Cancer Institute (PSCI) is the oldest cancer institute west of the Mississippi. With a multi-disciplinary approach, the PSCI team works continuously to provide the best, most advanced care available to patients. “You can get medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology all under one roof,” said Dr. Ashwani Rajput, regional executive medical director of the Providence Swedish Cancer Institute. “Our teams work together to give the best outcomes for the patient.” The institute recently opened the Paul G. Allen Research Center at PSCI. Late philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen made a personal bequest of $20 million to Swedish for this innovative center that will deepen their understanding of cancer. Allen wanted to make the future better for other cancer patients. “We do that by offering cutting-edge, translational research, meaning bringing the basic science to the bedside and giving the patients the advantage of those treatments,” Dr. Rajput said. The center has both biospecimen (wet) and data (dry) laboratory spaces and focuses on three main research pillars, each with a specific goal. One team concentrates on early detection and prevention. Another team focuses on the growth and development of tumors and how we can use genetics to improve current treatments, and the third is focused on immune-oncology, which develops treatments that harness the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. A recent advancement that’s making an impact on patients’ lives is CAR-T cell therapy. With CAR-T, providers take these cells from a patient’s blood and change them, so they are able to recognize a specific cancer cell. They are then put back in the patient’s body so they can fight the cancer. “That’s what the future is, and we’re really excited about that,” Dr. Rajput said. Dr. Rajput says you can reduce your cancer risk by eating a well-balanced diet and refraining from smoking. It’s also important to start your screenings at the recommended ages for cancers like breast, lung, prostate and colon. “The key is if we can’t prevent it, we should be able to actually diagnose it early,” Dr. Rajput said. “Because if we can diagnose it early, we can cure it, so you can talk about cancer and care in the same sentence.” To learn more about cancer care and life-saving research, visit the Providence Swedish Cancer Institute website. Sponsored by Providence Swedish Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest at 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.