Category Archives: In the News

What’s New with Cancer Moonshot?

Posted on by

On Thursday, April 25, 2019, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that he will be running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. But back in 2016, President Obama called on Biden to “lead a new, national ‘Moonshot’ initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it.” So what’s been happening with the Cancer MoonshotSM since then?

“Cancer Moonshot” by World Economic Forum is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

First, there’s been a name change. Cancer Moonshot 2020 is now known as Cancer Breakthroughs 2020. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is working to implement Cancer MoonshotSM. In a November 19, 2018 update, NCI Acting Deputy Director Dinah Singer, PhD, explained that the Moonshot is now moving from planning to research. A critical first step was the formation of the Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) and the publication of their 2016 report on recommendations for accelerating cancer research. NCI is now in the process of operationalizing the recommendations from this report.

On April 19, 2019, Claire Dietz reported in The Cancer Letter that NCI Board of Scientific Advisors had approved eight concepts as Request for Applications (RFAs), including three Cancer MoonshotSM  concepts at a March 25, 2019 meeting. One of the Cancer MoonshotSM  concepts centers around next generation technology for next gen cancer models (NGCMs).

Learn more about research initiatives Cancer MoonshotSM is supporting.

 

Volunteering at MSK

Posted on by

A recent Washington Post column by Steven Petrow describes his experience with volunteerism at MSK, both as a patient and a volunteer. His interaction with MSK volunteers began on his first night as a patient 35 years ago, when a volunteer from the patient-to-patient program came to his room and made him realize he had hope for life after cancer. About a decade later, Petrow joined the volunteer program, becoming one of the 900 people between the ages of 14 and 90 who give their time and talents as MSK volunteers.

A volunteer (in blue coat) and a caregiver. (Source: Richard DeWitt)

To learn more about volunteering at MSK, visit the Department of Volunteer Resources website.

American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting Puts MSK in the News

Posted on by

The recent American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting placed MSK in the spotlight recently, both for research being performed here and for expert opinions. Here are two such featured items:

  • Since 2017, CAR-T therapy has been used as treatment for forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Medical professionals collect and modify a sample of a patient’s immune cells, then return the altered cells to the patient to target and kill cancer cells. MSK’s Prasad Adusumilli and his team developed a CAR-T therapy targeting cancers outside the bloodstream—mesothelioma and lung and breast cancers that spread to the chest wall—and conducted a small phase I clinical trial. The trial found the therapy to be safe and early signs of the immunotherapy’s effectiveness are promising. Read more from the Associated Press, Daily Mail, and The Scientist.
  • Two articles quoted MSK’s Monica Morrow’s assessment of a study performed by researchers at Loma Linda University and presented at the meeting. The retrospective study looked at National Cancer Database data from 2010–2012 to determine whether surgery impacted survival for women with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. It found that women who received surgery were more frequently white, younger, and with private insurance. These socioeconomic factors account at least in part for their improved outcomes after receiving surgery. Dr. Morrow does not believe this study is sufficient to change clinical practice, in large part due to the selection bias in the patient population receiving surgery. She is awaiting results of a randomized trial currently underway.