MSK Among New York Recipients of Donations for Cancer Research and more…

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Here are some MSK news items from the last couple of weeks…

  • New York institutions have recently been the recipients of generous donations for cancer research.  MSK received a gift of $90 million in January from the Ludwig Cancer Research organization to fund immuno-oncology research.  Other New York institutions which have received large donations are the NYU Langone Medical Center which was gifted with a $50 million dollar donation and the Weill Cornell Medical College which recently received a $75 million gift.
  • A new journal, Hepatobiliary Cancer, has been announced by the publisher, PMPH-USA.  Dr. Yuman Fong of MSK, a world recognized researcher in liver and biliary surgery, will be co-editor of the new publication along with section editors, Dr. Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa and Dr. Gary E. Deng, also of MSK.  The journal will focus on new technology for the management of liver and biliary cancers from worldwide major cancer centers.
  • The cell-surface glycoprotein, Mesothelin, can predict tumor aggression in lung adenocarcinoma patients according to studies carried out at MSK by Dr. Prasad Adusumilli and his colleagues.  Patients with high Mesothelin expression had lower 5-year survival rates than those with low Mesothelin expression.
  • Cycle for Survival, is an event in which cancer survivors, patients and their families participate in a team cycling effort to raise money for rare cancer research.  The event took place on February 1st in 13 cities in the U.S.  The money raised will be donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering to support rare cancer trials and research studies.
  • Obesity has been found to be a factor in poorer survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.  The study, carried out by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell Medical College, found a five-fold increase in risk of death in patients who were obese immediately prior to diagnosis of the tongue cancer.  According to Dr. Neil Iyengar, the lead author of the study and an MSK fellow, this discovery may lead to new, more effective treatments.