John S. Stehlin, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., founded the CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research in 1969 with a new concept of cancer treatment. The word coined for the unique collaboration at the CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation was tripartnership.

Tripartnership joins the patient, physician and research scientist in their shared fight against cancer. Tripartnership accomplishes far more than the sum of its parts, opening new avenues of hope for better treatments and ultimately, eradication of the disease.

The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation advocates a multidisciplinary approach, often including: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hyperthermia and psychotherapy. Complementing the staff of board-certified physicians, pioneering research conducted at the Foundation's 18,000 square foot laboratory offers many additional benefits at no charge to the patient.

Most women with a family history of breast cancer are familiar with the term "lumpectomy." The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation was among the first to advocate breast-conserving treatment nearly 30 years ago. Its 25-year study of breast cancer patients showed the less radical procedure offered equal survival rates, without mutilation and severe psychological consequences of breast removal. Foundation physicians' articles on breast-conserving treatment were published in medical journals, prompting wide acceptance of this theory. By 1990, the National Cancer Institute officially recognized the modified procedure as "the treatment of choice" for selected breast cancer patients.

Today it is understood that meeting patients' emotional and spiritual needs is an integral part of effective cancer treatment. However, The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation was among the first in the nation to care for cancer patients' psychological needs. In 1980, The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation introduced "The Living room" on the 42-bed oncology unit, creating a nurturing place for hope, faith, laughter and love. "The Living Room" quickly became a prototype for cancer treatment centers around the world.

The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation also improved treatment for advanced melanomas of the extremities, increasing survival rates by 300 percent, while virtually eliminating amputations. And, one of the largest studies of liver cancer ever reported in the medical literature was conducted here.

The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation has been a torchbearer, lighting the way for continued innovations in cancer research. One of its most important achievements was development and use of the nude mouse in cancer research. Foundation scientists established that if an anticancer drug works against a human tumor implanted in a nude mouse, 80 percent of the time the drug will also be effective in treating the patient from whom the tumor was removed. Today, the nude mouse is the final non-human study required by the National Cancer Institute to determine an anticancer agent's effectiveness. Research scientists around the world consider the nude mouse one of this century's most significant breakthroughs in cancer research.

An exciting new family of anticancer drugs, the Camptothecins, has been tested in Food and Drug Administration-approved clinical trials at The Stehlin, deIpolyi Oncology Clinic. Among them, 9-Nitro-Camptothecin (9NC) has shown promise in treating pancreatic cancer, one of cancer's deadliest forms.

The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation has always had human cancer as the single focus of all its research. The team of Ph.D.s', research technicians and laboratory staff limit investigations to areas of direct benefit to patients with cancer. In this, the CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation is unique among cancer research facilities in the United States.

The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research has improved the outlook for thousands of cancer patients. With the help of generous individuals, corporations and foundations, The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation holds the promise of helping thousands more patients and finding a cure for this dreaded disease.