In 1981, John Wayne Cancer Institute (formerly known as the John Wayne Cancer Clinic) was founded to promote leading-edge cancer research and the education of the next generation of cancer physicians. John Wayne beat lung cancer in 1964. Wayne died 15 years later after a struggle with cancer of the stomach in 1979.

On Jan. 1, 2021, The John Wayne Cancer Institute changed its name to Saint John’s Cancer Institute dedicated to the understanding, diagnosis, and innovative treatment of cancer in order to eliminate patient suffering and prolong survival.