The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center unveiled a new center for early-stage clinical trials last week.
The Ho‘ōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center is the first dedicated center in the islands for Stage I and II clinical trials for cancer.
The milestone comes as a new study finds that Hawaiʻi cancer patients may be suffering from “financial toxicity.”
UH researchers found that residents spend tens of millions of dollars each year on out-of-state cancer care. Leaders hope that the new clinical research center will convince some to remain in the islands for treatment.
Naoto Ueno is the director of the UH Cancer Center and an author of the new report. He spoke with The Conversation about the study and the new center.
“The abstract that we presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology is about financial toxicity by leaving the islands. And of course insurance may cover, but they're not going to cover everything, which includes air fees or staying somewhere else or loss of work while you're going somewhere else,” Ueno said, and added that it was a side effect based on the type of treatment people choose and where they receive it.
The study examined insurance billing data from 2021 through 2023 and found that, on average, Hawaiʻi residents were spending more than $50 million per year on out-of-state cancer care.
Over the three-year study period, the total spending amount exceeded $230 million. Ueno said the study is the first-of-its-kind to provide the numbers behind the financial impact of Hawaiʻi residents having to leave the islands for cancer treatment.
“They don't always get better care, and they find out quickly that they can't stay there for long terms,” Ueno explained. “So they'll come back. So we're actually spending unnecessary money on the continent instead of us spending on our healthcare provider, or reinvesting in the infrastructure, or hiring more highly specialized physicians. The money is going somewhere else.”
Ueno said that the best cancer care is to have a combination of regular treatment and clinical trials. While Hawaiʻi does offer clinical trials, he said they are somewhat limited. The new center provides an opening to expand trials and allows patients with advanced cancers to have more choices in treatment options.
Ueno said that the center also creates opportunities to conduct clinical trials among populations that are underrepresented in cancer research.
“This will not only help Hawaiʻi, but all the other people who are living, like Native Hawaiians, living more outside of Hawaiʻi, and it is an opportunity to really help all the populations,” he said.
Ueno recommends discussing with individual healthcare providers whether traveling off-island for treatment is necessary.
“Ultimately, what we like to see a couple of years from now is that you don't have to go to MD Anderson. You could just come to the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center.”
Ueno shared that the Ho‘ōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center will also help to train and recruit top talent to stay in the islands. The new center is offering for the first time a three-year medical oncology fellowship for two physicians each year.
This story aired on The Conversation on July 14, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
