Category Archives: In the News

How to Discuss End-of-Life Planning

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Dr. Alan Carver

Dr. Alan Carver. Photo by Richard DeWitt.

A Vox article on having conversations with loved ones about end-of-life planning features MSK’s Dr. Alan Carver.

Dr. Carver, a neurologist, emphasizes the importance of listening and not rushing these difficult conversations. Having end-of-life decision discussions starting when family members are healthy, and working with care teams when family members are ill, are strategies Dr. Carver recommends.

Learn more about having end-of-life conversations in this MSK feature.

Exercising to Fight Cancer

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September 5, 2021 – New York, NY: Memorial Sloan Kettering Photo shoot with patient in Madison Square Park. CREDIT: Karsten Moran for MSK **Image may have been staged or digitally modified


Researchers from UT Southwestern’s Simmons Cancer Center in Texas found that lactate may have an anti-tumor effect when used in conjunction with immune checkpoint inhibitors. They also found that lactate might enhance the impact of a vaccine to fight cancer. The study was conducted on mice. Lactate is a by-product produced after strenuous exercise. If confirmed in human studies, the finding would emphasize exercise’s importance in fighting cancer. The study was published in Nature Communications.

Also, another study by researchers in Denmark showed the impact of exercise on suppressing tumor growth. The authors hypothesized that exercise might strengthen the immune response. This study was also preclinical, done on mice, and additional research in controlled clinical trials is needed to confirm those preliminary results. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

Who Does Twitter Elevate?

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Social media offers valuable, accurate medical information—if you know who to trust. Unfortunately, identifying reliable sources of information remains a challenge for even the most savvy web users.

Dr. Fumiko Chino

Dr. Fumiko Chino. Photo: Richard DeWitt.

A recent Axios article reviews the problem of information and misinformation on Twitter. In it, MSK’s Dr. Fumiko Chino describes a recent study she coauthored in JAMA Network Open. Verified accounts (the ones with those blue checkmarks) of physicians on Twitter are more likely to be from male doctors in the United States. It is unclear why some accounts receive verification while others do not.

While Twitter worked to make the verification process more transparent last year, Dr. Chino believes room for improvement remains. She concludes, “It charges me to put a fine eye in terms of who I’m elevating, who I’m retweeting.”