MD Anderson, NCI debut interactive exhibit on cancer progress and prevention
‘We can’t overcommunicate this’: MD Anderson launches museum tour
‘We can’t overcommunicate this’: Cancer survival gains drive MD Anderson exhibit
Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson has sponsored and co-developed an interactive museum exhibit that will tour the U.S. for five years.
“The Journey to End Cancer: From Cause to Cure” opened to the public March 7 at The Health Museum in Houston and aims to share the progress made within cancer research while enhancing cancer prevention awareness. The exhibit was developed in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and Evergreen Exhibitions.
Jennifer Litton, MD, a breast medical oncologist and chief clinical research officer at MD Anderson Cancer Center, spoke to Becker’s about the exhibit and the importance of communicating how cancer care has progressed.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How did your MD Anderson colleagues decide which scientific advances to feature in the exhibition?
Dr. Jennifer Litton: The folks who put this together were exceptionally thoughtful and very detail oriented. They wanted to make sure they made an exhibit that people could feel a part of and leave learning something new.
The biggest thing was to communicate hope. There have been vast improvements in the care of cancer. We just now have data showing that 70% of cancer patients now live more than five years. That was not conceivable three decades ago and only brings hope for what the next decade will bring. I’m not sure we can ever overcommunicate the advances we’re making.
Q: This exhibit was developed over two and a half years with input from MD Anderson, the NCI and other experts. What did that process reveal to you about how the public understands — or misunderstands — cancer?
JL: I really hope we were able to communicate and demystify clinical research for patients and families. The fear of the unknown is always scarier, and so just providing an interactive experience that can give more exposure on what’s being worked on by global communities. Clinical research is how we move forward.
Q: Does cancer research and/or the healthcare industry at large have a communications problem, particularly when it comes to conveying progress, prevention and the value of screening? Does this museum tour aim to address that problem?
JL: At MD Anderson, our only goal is to end cancer. That’s it. It’s simple, it’s powerful. It’s the driving force behind why I’m in this job, why I see patients and why I do research. Prevention and screening are absolutely powerful, important parts of what we do.
We’re hopeful that as more and more people become engaged with this initiative that it makes the idea of prevention, screening and treatment less scary. That is just as important as thinking about the infrastructure that we need for the next major advances, which are absolutely different from just an infusion chair for chemotherapy.
