Our New Cancer Center: Providing Unparalleled Cancer Care

Olatoyosi Odenike, MD, and patient in infusion area — Olatoyosi Odenike, MD, left, is an expert in leukemia treatment and research.

The AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion will serve as an international destination for cancer care, where patients and their families can find full-service, personalized care that is backed by clinical research and innovation at UChicago Medicine.

UChicago Medicine's credentials include:

Recognized as the top cancer program in Illinois and 12th in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2025-26 Best Hospitals ranking.
One of just two NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in Illinois and 53 in the country. The “Comprehensive” distinction is the National Cancer Institute’s gold standard for cancer programs and recognizes the innovative research, leading-edge treatments, and extensive community outreach and education initiatives conducted at or by the organization.
One of 32 U.S. institutions selected as Lead Academic Participation Sites for the NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network, with more than 300 open therapeutic trials and more than 1,000 patients enrolled per year.
Has more than 200 cancer specialists who care for patients of all ages.
The first site in the country to be certified for FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for specific blood cancers in adult and pediatric patients.

What Does It Mean to Be an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center?

An official comprehensive cancer center designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the highest federal rating a cancer center can achieve. Learn what's required to earn this designation and how the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center is shaping cancer care and research today and beyond.

Video Transcript

Comprehensive is in our name. But what does that mean? Comprehensive is the highest federal rating a cancer center can achieve from the National Cancer Institute, the federal agency overseeing the national cancer research effort.

It is a gold standard of excellence, awarded only to cancer centers with the deepest and broadest knowledge of cancer. These places have strengths in all the areas of cancer research, including prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivorship.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of facilities that specialize in cancer, only 70 are officially NCI designated. And of those, only 49 hold the special comprehensive status. This designation places us among the top tier of cancer centers in the country, and one of two in Illinois.

Comprehensive cancer centers serve as a model for moving new discoveries from the laboratory setting to reach patients and the greater community. In order to keep this designation and funding, every NCI designated cancer center must undergo an intense review process every five years to demonstrate that it has a critical mass of high quality, collaborative research that leads to big shifts in cancer care-- strong institutional support, a highly qualified director, state-of-the-art facilities, and the ability to bring physicians and scientists from multiple disciplines together.

For meeting all of these standards, we have earned the distinction as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our most recent review in 2017 earned our center an outstanding rating. This means that our patients benefit from being treated at a world-class research facility, with leading physicians and scientists who are dedicated to improving the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer in Chicago and beyond.