In 1904, Fox Chase Cancer Center was founded by the union of American Oncologic Hospital and the Institute for Cancer Research as the nation’s first cancer hospital.

In 1974, Fox Chase became one of the first institutions designated as a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. The hospital was built on the vision and optimism of 13 business and professional men, including a number of physicians, who were concerned about rising cancer rates in Philadelphia. At that time, cancer was widely considered incurable. Since its modest start in a West Philadelphia Victorian home, the institution has remained a national leader in cancer care.