$1.031 million contribution positions Fox Cancer Center to provide comprehensive cancer care close to home

EL PASO, TX / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2026 / As two towering yellow cranes worked to raise the future Fox Cancer Center from the desert floor, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar presented Texas Tech Health El Paso with a symbolic check representing $1.031 million in federal funds to help purchase linear accelerators, known as LINACs, for patient treatment and research programs at the cancer center.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar presents Texas Tech Health El Paso President Richard Lange, M.D., and Rajkumar Lakshmanaswamy, Ph.D.,
dean of the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences with a check representing $1.031 million in federal funds.

The May 5 check presentation on campus marked a major step in the effort to build the region's first research-anchored cancer center. When the Fox Cancer Center opens, Borderplex patients will no longer have to travel hundreds of miles for advanced radiation therapy.

"Cancer is such a horrific disease, and it frequently strikes people who are otherwise perfectly healthy," said Escobar. "There are countless El Pasoans who do not have the luxury of leaving their home, of having a job where they can take time off, of having health insurance."

LINACs target tumors with high-energy radiation while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. The technology will also support cancer research by helping faculty study how radiation interacts with different tumor types, potentially opening the door to more effective treatments.

Approximately 3,275 El Pasoans are diagnosed with cancer every year. The Paso del Norte Borderplex, where 83% of residents are Hispanic, faces some of the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates among Hispanic communities in Texas, with colorectal, liver, leukemia and cervical cancer rates exceeding state and national averages.

With two LINAC devices, the center is expected to serve up to 1,100 cancer patients annually in a facility that includes medical and surgical oncology, clinical trials and an IV infusion center. It will be the first center in the region to consolidate that standard of care under one roof.

Rajkumar Lakshmanaswamy, Ph.D., dean of the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, thanked Escobar for the pivotal investment in cancer care.

"Our region has been historically understudied when it comes to cancer research and clinical trials," said Dr. Lakshmanaswamy. "We are going to change that."

The availability of LINAC technology in El Paso is expected to contribute valuable research data about cancer treatment in border populations. El Paso's geographic isolation and large Hispanic population make the region an important location for cancer research and clinical trials.

With LINAC technology at the cancer center, Texas Tech Health El Paso can attract radiation oncologists and cancer researchers while strengthening training programs for future specialists who may choose to remain in the community.

The Fox Cancer Center is funded through a coalition of public and private investments, including more than $130 million from the Texas Legislature, $25 million from the Fox family, $30 million through a University Medical Center of El Paso bond issue and $5 million from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.

Media Contact: Marty Otero at 915-215-6017 marty.otero@ttuhsc.edu

SOURCE: Texas Tech Health El Paso