In 1975, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center received National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation.

Massey is the only NCI-designated center in the Richmond region and one of just two in Virginia. Of the 1,500 cancer centers in the U.S., only 69 have earned an NCI designation, placing Massey in the top 4 percent nationwide.

Massey received a planning grant from the NCI in 1974 to establish a cancer center at VCU.