Category Archives: In the News

Did you know? India Nearly Polio Free!

Posted on by

This week, India has reached a benchmark 3 years without a reported case of wild polio putting them well on the way to an official polio-free status from the WHO (expected in March). The last case of wild polio virus was reported on January 13, 2011, in an 18-month old girl. India’s large and diverse population made spreading the vaccine through the entire country a challenge. This achievement is due to a well-planned program of immunization teams spread throughout the nation.

By focusing on those hardest to reach, mobile teams from the Rotary Club, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were able to appeal to community leaders and get vaccinations to those in need.  According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the infrastructure used to deliver the polio vaccines can now be used to deliver other vaccinations and hopefully eradicate other diseases prevalent in India. While efforts to eradicate polio world-wide continue, this milestone in India provides hope for other areas still battling the disease.

MSK in the News: December 26 – January 5

Posted on by
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering has received a $90 million donation as a share of an unprecedented $540 million gift from the Ludwig Cancer Research organization, to 6 prestigious academic institutions.  Memorial will use the funds to support research in immuno-oncology – fighting cancer using the immune system.
  • MSKCC’s Dr. Michael Mauro is pleased that the FDA is allowing sale of the leukemia drug, Iclusig, to resume after it had been taken off the market.
  • Dr. Tim Ahles of MSKCC commented on the phenomenon of premature aging in adult survivors of childhood cancers.

Racial divide in breast cancer, India’s cancer struggles, and other news

Posted on by

Here are a few highlights of cancer research news that have caught our attention the past two weeks:

  • The New York Times reports how India struggles to make cancer care more affordable, while drug companies are involved in patent disputes.
  • The difference in mortality rates between black women and white women with breast cancer has widened since 1975, according to the National Cancer Institute.
  • According to a study published in Cancer Immunology Research, engineered immune cells showed antitumor activity in two patients with advanced cancers.
  • According to a study published in Preventative Medicine, a diagnosis of cancer in a celebrity sharply increases efforts to quit smoking.