LLU Cancer Center Touts $190K Gift

Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer donated $190,000 to Loma Linda University Cancer Center in June, a spokesman announced Tuesday.

Loma Linda University Cancer Center used the gift to purchase Breast Tomosynthesis equipment and to fund research on pediatric cancer, Herbert Atienza of Loma Linda University said in a statement.

"We count it a privilege, and responsibility, to partner with Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer in the fight against cancer," Dr. Mark Reeves, director of Loma Linda University Cancer Center, said in the statement.

"Over the years, their consistent generosity has allowed us to push back the frontiers of cancer research and treatment here in the Inland Empire," Reeves said. "Their gift makes a real difference in cancer patients' lives right here at home."

Breast Tomosynthesis is now operational at Loma Linda University Cancer Center, Atienza said. It is billed as a new tool for cancer screening that offers 3-D views of the breast.

Reeves said tomosynthesis presents sharper images that can be manipulated by radiologists.

This can allow better detection of breast cancers, and reduce the "false negative" rate of traditional mammography, Atienza said.

It could also mean fewer women will have to undergo invasive biopsy procedures, according to Loma Linda University Cancer Center.

The research component of the gift from Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer allows Loma Linda University Cancer Center to offer state-of-the-art transplant services to children, including bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, Atienza said.

Loma Linda University Medical Center is billed as the only Level 1 trauma Center in San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, and Mono counties.

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