UT Physicians surgeon wins cancer grant

Posted on Friday, July 13th, 2012

The American Cancer Society has awarded Curtis Wray, M.D., UT Physicians surgeon, a grant to find ways to improve the care and quality of life for people with liver cancer.

Liver cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in the world and about 750,000 new cases were diagnosed in 2008.

Dr. Wray is using his five-year, $729,000 grant to study disparities in the life expectancy of patients with advanced liver cancer, which averages about seven months but is considerably less in the underserved population.

In an effort to pinpoint factors contributing to this disparity, Dr. Wray is following liver cancer patients in the Harris County Hospital District, which is the community’s leading integrated healthcare system focused on caring for the medically underserved individuals and families in Harris County.

“We know the outcomes for people with liver cancer have been suboptimal in an underserved population,” he said. “We want to know why and what can be done to improve the quality of life for these patients.”

The medical group practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, UT Physicians offers the most advanced technologies with a personalized touch from its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at a growing number of clinics throughout the greater Houston area.

-Rob Cahill, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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