In 2025, more than 2 million people will be given a new cancer diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society. For those who receive the heartbreaking news, it’s often the beginning of a long and difficult journey. Through groundbreaking research and treatment, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine ensures it is a road no one travels alone. The center is a leader in cancer treatment, research, prevention, education and community outreach, providing care to people from across the country.

Every year, more than 75,000 patients visit Siteman. Around 12,000 of the people who walk through the center’s doors will be dealing with a new cancer diagnosis. “We’re changing the paradigm of cancer treatment,” Siteman director Dr. Timothy Eberlein notes. “We provide therapies that are available nowhere else. Because of this innovative approach to care, patients have more favorable outcomes because we can better target the disease.” Breakthroughs at Siteman have led to the creation of personalized vaccines for breast and pancreatic cancers and a whole genome sequencing test that provides quicker results at a lower cost.

Washington University research scientists and physicians at Siteman Cancer Center currently lead three Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants from the National Cancer Institute to support research and clinical trials aimed at improving therapies for pancreatic, leukemia and endometrial cancers. Eberlein says the specialized research model has made a major impact, including helping more efficiently move treatments from the initial research stages into clinical trials.

The endometrial cancer SPORE is the newest at Siteman. Eberlein notes that while research is in the early stages, he’s excited to see similar results as the team has had for leukemia and pancreatic cancer. “By bringing together teams of expert clinicians and researchers, we’ve been able to develop one-of-a-kind clinical trials—this is work that is not being done anywhere else,” he explains. “We anticipate we’ll have the same kind of success with this new SPORE. I’m looking forward to seeing the important contributions our team can make to the treatment of endometrial cancer.”

Siteman is the only comprehensive cancer center in the region, serving Missouri, most of Illinois and beyond. As such, the center is dedicated to promoting the health of the community, especially for populations that are at greater risk for cancer mortality. “We make an impact on health throughout the region and even nationally,” Eberlein says. “Many of our unique programs are replicated at other cancer institutes across the country.” Siteman has worked with community partners to improve access to breast cancer screening and reduce the mortality rate for the disease in the region, especially among Black women. The center’s outreach efforts also include the Mississippi River valley south of St. Louis, a national hotspot for colorectal cancer.

Private philanthropy has always played a critical role in the advancement of cancer research. To power the wheel of innovation at Siteman, the Cancer Frontier Fund was established at The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to support research scientists and physicians in gathering the critical early data needed to secure larger national grants. “To receive grants, you first must provide proof of principle and preliminary data to reassure reviewers that you are likely to be successful,” Eberlein explains. “The majority of applicants will be denied. The Cancer Frontier Fund provides resources that allow our investigators to be much stronger competitors. Over the years, we’ve obtained $13 dollars in grants for every $1 donated.”

One of the major fundraising events that benefits the Cancer Frontier Fund is The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Illumination Gala. Since 2007, the event has raised more than $48 million, and those funds have been used to support more than 185 cancer research projects. This year, the gala will be June 14 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. “Illumination is extraordinarily important because it provides Siteman with unrestricted funds that can be invested in new ideas and technologies, which in turn develop into treatments to help patients ,” Eberlein says. “Many of the breakthroughs and innovations we’ve made are thanks in part to this event.”

This year’s lead ambassadors are Elizabeth Mannen Berges and Jim Berges. For Eberlein, their commitment to the fight against cancer is a wonderful illustration of what makes Illumination so powerful. “The evening is one of the best examples of the philanthropic spirit of St. Louis,” he says. “The community has shown Siteman Cancer Center so much support. Our patients have hope in their fight against the disease thanks to that dedication and giving spirit.”

The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Illumination Gala benefits cancer research at Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. The event will be June 14 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Pictured on the cover: Lead ambassadors Elizabeth Mannen Berges and Jim Berges. For more information, call 314.286.0602 or visit illuminationgala.org.

Cover design by Julie Streiler
Cover photo by Gara Lacy

Pictured at top: A Washington University researcher at Siteman
Photo courtesy of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital