Karmanos began as the Detroit Institute for Cancer Research in 1943. It was registered as a non-profit organization in 1949. The institute was later named the Michigan Cancer Foundation, encompassing the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center of Metropolitan Detroit and the cancer programs of the
Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University. In 1995, the cancer center was named after Barbara Ann Karmanos, the late wife of
Peter Karmanos Jr., former chairman and chief executive officer of
Compuware Corporation. Barbara Ann Karmanos succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 46. On October 30, 2013, Karmanos Cancer Institute and
McLaren Health Care Corporation signed an agreement that created the largest cancer research and provider network in Michigan. The agreement was finalized in January 2014. In 2018, the institute reported that it had 1,000 staff members, including 300 doctors, and 100 researchers, with the staff treating approximately 12,000 patients each year It had an operating budget of $260 million. == About ==