Features
![Expanding the center's space — and our horizons Expanding the center's space — and our horizons](/synthesis/issues/fall2012/images/f1_TOC.jpg)
Expanding the center's space — and our horizons
Ten years in the planning, the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center’s new expansion opens up a world of opportunities for patients and staff alike.
![A collaborative effort against leukemia A collaborative effort against leukemia](/synthesis/issues/fall2012/images/f2_TOC.jpg)
A collaborative effort against leukemia
JP Avilla was 15 and a rising football star when he was abruptly sidelined with hip pain and bouts of vomiting. His pediatrician in Truckee referred him to UC Davis Medical Center, where a pediatric oncologist diagnosed him with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
![Community-created art brightens Cancer Center environment Community-created art brightens Cancer Center environment](/synthesis/issues/fall2012/images/f3_TOC.jpg)
Community-created art brightens Cancer Center environment
Many of the pieces selected for the new wing of the cancer center reverberate with humor — along with light, color, whimsy, fantasy, joy, contemplation, awe and tranquility.
![LGBT task force finds disparities in cancer screening and care LGBT task force finds disparities in cancer screening and care](/synthesis/issues/fall2012/images/f4_TOC.jpg)
LGBT task force finds disparities in cancer screening and care
Enrique Manjarrez experienced homophobia firsthand during an annual preventive care visit to a physician. "The doctor was completely homophobic and made extremely rude remarks while examining me," says Manjarrez, an education and prevention manager at Breaking Barriers.
![A dogged path to a cure A dogged path to a cure](/synthesis/issues/fall2012/images/f5_TOC.jpg)
A dogged path to a cure
Albert Plante woke up from surgery to remove an inflamed appendix to a crushing surprise. His surgeon, seeing abnormalities on his pre-op blood tests, sampled his liver during the operation and found what turned out to be stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.