Benefits of Molecular Imaging and More MSK in the News

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Dina

MSK radiologist, Dr. Nancy Lee and Director of MRI, Dr. Oguz Akin, were featured in an April 27 Washington Post article that explained how molecular imaging is a powerful new tool that helps make both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer more targeted.

In an April 26 WSJ article, MSK President and CEO Dr. Craig Thompson, explained how despite cancer not yet having been “cured”, recent advances in cancer research and our ever-expanding knowledge of cancer is something to be excited and hopeful about.

An April 23 NJBiz article announced plans for MSK to develop an outpatient cancer center in Montvale, New Jersey. This will be MSK’s third outpatient center in NJ and is scheduled to open in April 2017.

MSK’s Computational Biology Program Chair, Dr. Chris Sander, was featured in an April 23 article summarizing the keynote address he gave in Boston at the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo. Highlighted was the work he does predicting combinations of targeted therapies to avoid the development of a cancer’s resistance to a single drug. Also mentioned was the cBioPortal visualization & analysis tool developed by his team.

Songs4Sloan Benefit Concert for Pediatric Cancer Research at MSK and More…

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Dina

On May 11 at 7pm at the Soho Playhouse (15 Vandam Street) in New York City, many of Broadway’s youngest stars will be performing as part of Songs4Sloan, a benefit concert presented by Abbey Rose Gould and Presley Ryan to benefit pediatric cancer research at MSK.
On April 12, MSK’s Patricia Skarulis delivered a keynote address at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives spring forum in Chicago. MSK’s ever-evolving cybersecurity strategy was discussed, which currently includes a two-factor authentication for email and various initiatives to reduce the risk of having employees fall prey to increasingly sophisticated phishing schemes.
In an April 14 Annals of Internal Medicine paper, MSK’s Dr. Andrew Vickers, PhD, and Dr. David Kent of Tufts Medical Center argued that there may be a need for more individualized recommendations when it comes to screening and prevention as most individuals have below average risk and may experience more harm than benefit from unwarranted screenings.
From April 22-24, MSK will be the meeting site for a workshop hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). In attendance will be 100 international experts on small cell lung cancer who will discuss the current state of knowledge in this field with the goal of developing a “roadmap for future research and clinical trials for patients with this disease”.

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Dina

MSK’s Outpatient Art Program (established in 2013) which includes both temporary and permanent installations coordinated by Outpatient Curator Sarah Campbell, was highlighted in a March 25 Hyperallergic article. How art is being integrated into MSK’s mission and the role it serves in the healing process of patients was explained.
MSK’s Visible Ink writing program was described in a March 30 News 1 segment that reported on how learning to write down their personal stories has helped many cancer patients of all ages. The program produces annual anthologies of the written works and also organizes a yearly performance where the best pieces are read by actors.
On NPR’s March 26 Morning Edition, jazz singer and MSK patient MaryAnn Anselmo was featured in a story about how genetic testing of her tumor — which showed it to have a mutation usually found in skin cancer — lead to her brain cancer being treated with a skin cancer drug therapy.
A March 24 Reuters Health piece described a recent study by MSK’s Dr. Raymond Thornton and his group which showed that patients may not currently be getting as much information about the risks of radiologic testing as they might wish to receive from their doctors.