Nancy E. Kemeny, MD

I am a medical oncologist with a special expertise in developing new chemotherapy regimens for colorectal cancer. During my 30 years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, I conducted some of the first studies using drugs such as irinotecan and oxaliplatin, which are now widely used in patients with colorectal cancer. I also was the lead investigator of a large, multi-institutional study that helped in the Food and Drug Administration's approval of oxaliplatin for colorectal cancer treatment in the U.S. My research has involved improving the outcome for patients with liver metastases using regional chemotherapy. Regional chemotherapy involves administering drugs into an artery that feeds tumors in the liver. This can be done using an internally implanted pump. The effectiveness of regional chemotherapy given in combination with systemic chemotherapy has led to its use in patients with surgically resected (removed) liver metastases. This combination has decreased the recurrence of disease after liver resection. New studies using this therapy have allowed patients with extensive liver disease who are not eligible for resection to achieve an excellent response, which then allows resection. We have also used this treatment for patients with primary liver cancer.