- On the March 1 edition of PBS News Hour, MSK’s Dr. David Hyman explained changes in the way oncologists currently think about and treat cancers. He said that the new focus is on the genetic mutations that cause cancer rather than on the organ that the cancer originates from. Drugs are now being developed that target a particular mutation in a tumor and these may potentially be beneficial to patients regardless of the type of cancer (based on organ) that they have.
- MSK will soon be incorporating real-time patient monitoring software, developed by PeraHealth, into its electronic health record (EHR) systems. It is believed that this new technology will result in improved communication among care team members as clinicians will be provided with an updated computed score of how a patient is doing every time new data is added to a patient’s record.
- Dr. Margaret Polaneczky and her colleagues at Weill Cornell Medical College, along with clinicians at MSK, have created an online patient decision aid that helps women (ages 40-49) decide whether or not to get a mammogram. The website, available at http://breastscreeningdecisions.com, was inspired by the guideline reversal that occurred in 2009 when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new screening recommendations for women ages 40-49.
- MSK’s Dr. Samuel D. Kaffenberger and his colleagues presented a paper at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium last week, during which they reported on a study where they were able to use protein expression characteristics to accurately stratify patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and predict their prognosis.