Catchment Area

The GW Cancer Center defines its catchment area using three core criteria:

  1. the geographic regions from which patients are most frequently drawn; 
  2. the Cancer Center’s bricks-and-mortar clinical and research locations; and 
  3. the persistence and severity of cancer-related health disparities within surrounding communities.

Based on these criteria, the current catchment area includes 12 counties and municipalities across southern Maryland and northern Virginia, as well as all eight wards of the District of Columbia.

The Office of Cancer Equity (COE) supports the GW Cancer Center’s mission and impact across this catchment area by advancing six strategic aims:

  • Identify and monitor the cancer burden within the catchment area, with particular attention to underserved and historically marginalized populations.
  • Build sustainable partnerships between the GW Cancer Center’s research programs and the diverse communities it serves to ensure that research findings are translated into practice.
  • Partner with community-based organizations focused on cancer risk reduction, early detection, treatment, and survivorship to promote health equity and improve quality of life.  
  • Collaborate with the DC Department of Health and congressional leaders to influence local and federal policies that reduce cancer burden across the catchment area.  
  • Increase participation in GW Cancer Center clinical trials by overcoming barriers to care and ensuring a representative pool of participants across race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age.
  • Invest in and maintain infrastructure that supports sustainable community outreach and engagement.
Map of DC and the DMV catchment area
Distribution of GW Cancer Center patients with a new cancer diagnosis in 2022 across the District of Columbia and surrounding counties.

 

The catchment area includes residents from the District of Columbia (Wards 1–8); Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Charles counties in Maryland; and Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties, as well as the municipalities of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park in Virginia.

The majority of GW Cancer Center patients reside in the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County. The most commonly diagnosed cancers among these patients include breast, prostate, lung, and head and neck cancers — underscoring the importance of targeted prevention, early detection, and equitable access to care across the region.