Chapter 10: The Texas Cancer Data Center
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Description
He explains the funding and mission to collect information from the state cancer registry and convert it to a searchable system that includes statistics on patients and other information. He explains how the system evolved, shifts in its management, and the programs it includes. He notes that a related education program has reached about 500 nurses and 1000 social workers with information about programs for patients. He notes that this was one of the first data centers of this type in the country.
Dr. Foxhall notes partnerships with the American Cancer Society and with other public health agencies to educate patients about cancer risk. He also notes the work with the Harris County Healthcare Alliance to support prevention programs in community clinics and improve access to healthcare for low income patients. (Additional information on the Texas Cancer Data Center is presented in Segment 09.)
Identifier
FoxhallLE_02_20140213_C10
Publication Date
2-13-2014
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Lewis Foxhall, MD, Oral History Interview, February 13, 2014
Topics Covered
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - An Institutional Unit; Overview; MD Anderson History; MD Anderson Impact; Education; Information for Patients and the Public; Institutional Mission and Values; Beyond the Institution
Transcript
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
So that was a very longstanding program. It really had just been established when I came on board, and we continued to maintain that and expand it over the years to broaden its reach in a very successful program in a way to kind of reach out to the public and others that were interested in cancer information.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
So tell me how that worked. I mean, how did the Data Center—because that was its first name, right?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Mm-hmm.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
How did it get established and then how was this data amassed?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Well, it was a grant from the Texas Cancer Council, which was the state agency that helps support cancer initiatives, and the idea was to collect information from our state Cancer Registry, which had just recently been reestablished, and convert that into an accessible, searchable system for people to get information and have a particular [unclear] in a particular area across the state through an Internet-based, online-based program.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
And this is public information?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Mm-hmm. Yeah. So this is de-identified statistical information. We also collected the names and locations of physician practices who worked in cancer, and we also tried to provide some basic public education information about cancer for cancer patients as well. So that was launched a number of years ago and continued to be supported by the Cancer Council up until the time CPRIT came into being, at which time the Cancer Council went away and CPRIT continued to fund it for a few years. And then we switched it over to institutional funding when they decided they didn’t want to be in that business anymore.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
So it’s now funded by MD Anderson?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Mm-hmm.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Wow. And let’s see. It was renamed. I have the most recent name as the Texas Cancer Website Information [unclear]?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
No, Texas Cancer Information [unclear].
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Okay.
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
For better or worse.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
And were there any changes made to it when MD Anderson took it over or CPRIT took it over [unclear]?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
It was just an evolution. The funding that we had previously was a good bit more, so we had to cut back on staff and do more with less, the usual thing. So we also obtained some grant funding from CPRIT to do some educational programming through the website, so that’s still ongoing.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
So how many people use this every year, and what is it used for?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Well, it’s a service that gets a fair amount of traffic. I think we get around a million and a half or so hits a year and several thousand unique users. So it’s something that people still seem to find interesting. So with this educational program, we’ve reached—well, I can’t remember the exact numbers, but around five thousand nurses and a few hundred social workers, which is who we were targeting as information about access to care, how to get your patients connected, low-income uninsured patients connected with cancer care services. So that’s been a good program. We’re in the process of needing to update that. It’s been out there almost two years now, so we’re going to do a little update on it, keep it available for people.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
When was this initiative started, the Texas Cancer Information?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Back in the late eighties, 1988, something like that. So it was about the time the Cancer Council came into being and the initial Texas Cancer Plan was developed modeled on the National Cancer Plan. So Texas was one of the first states to have a formal plan for addressing cancer. That was first put together then, it’s been updated subsequently, and we’ve participated in those updates.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Why was Texas one of the first, you know? What was going on at the time?
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
It’s Texas.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
It’s Texas. (laughter) Said by a Texan.
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Well, you know, there were a number of people here in the state. You know, it was home to MD Anderson. There were a lot of people at that time that were very passionate about cancer care, and we had some unique resources that were available that really kind of raised the profile of cancer treatment and our approach to cancer here that helped move things along.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Well, thank you for that. We’ve got about five minutes left. Do you want to go until eleven-thirty? I noticed you checked your phone. Do you need to stop and—
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
(laughs) Yeah. Well, whenever you’re ready, yeah. I probably need to kind of move along here.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Okay. Okay.
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
But anyway, yeah, so lots of interesting interactions, I think, with a number of organizations. We’ve worked a lot with the American Cancer Society, too, over the years on collaborative programs and cancer control, promoting education, screening, prevention, public education. So they’ve been a real important part of our business over time, and then with our public health agencies at the state level and here in Houston partnering to try to improve the opportunities for patients to be aware of cancer risk and to address those risks. And then the other group that we spent a good deal of time working with is this Harris County Healthcare Alliance, which is an organization we put together in collaboration with the city and county government to help provide additional support to community clinics to improve access to prevention services and to help improve the access to care for low-income populations here in the Houston region.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Well, great. Well, why don’t we leave it there for today.
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Okie dokie.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
So you can move on to your other important work.
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
Back to work. (laughs)
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Yes. So I’m turning off the recorder at 11:24. Thank you very much for your time this morning.
Lewis Foxhall, MD:
All right. Sure thing. You bet. (end of session two)
Recommended Citation
Foxhall, Lewis E. MD and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 10: The Texas Cancer Data Center" (2014). Interview Chapters. 859.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/859
Conditions Governing Access
Open
