In recent years, more than two dozen companies have been marketing a range of genetic tests directly to consumers concerned about genetic conditions. However, the marketing of these "at home" genomic tests for disease risk may be premature, according to the Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at MSKCC.
MSKCC is leading efforts to understand key genetic changes in many types of cancer in order to ultimately tailor therapies to the exact molecular lesions present in an individual's tumor cells.
The Cancer Genome Atlas seeks to accelerate the understanding of the molecular basis of cancer through the application of a variety of genome analysis technologies and the creation of a freely accessible public repository of its data.
The Society for Pediatric Radiology, including MSKCC physicians, has launched a project seeking to decrease unnecessary CT imaging and radiation levels in children.
MSKCC investigators have created computerized prediction tools designed to help patients and their physicians decide among the major treatment choices for a number of cancers, including colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.
Research led by investigators at MSKCC has shown that therapeutic cloning, also known as somatic-cell nuclear transfer, can be used to treat Parkinson's disease in a mouse model.
A new pilot study by investigators at MSKCC found that breast cancer patients can be treated safely with a "dose-dense" regimen of standard chemotherapy agents and Herceptin®, a drug that has previously been shown to cause cardiac toxicity.
An international group of investigators led by MSKCC scientists and the NCI has identified a new genetic marker that increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
The surgical removal of the ovaries has been widely adopted as a cancer-risk-reducing strategy for women with either BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. A study led by researchers at MSKCC is the first prospective look at the impact of this procedure in which BRCA2 mutation carriers were analyzed separately from BRCA1 mutation carriers.
A single PSA test taken before the age of 50 can be used to predict advanced prostate cancer in men up to 25 years in advance of a diagnosis, according to a study published by researchers at MSKCC and Lund University in Sweden. The findings may help physicians identify men who would benefit from intensive prostate cancer screenings over their lifetime.
A study led by researchers at MSKCC reports on a novel mechanism that can enhance the function of a protein that is frequently impaired in patients with acute forms of leukemia.
Dr. Holland is a neurosurgeon, cancer biologist, and the Director of MSKCC's Brain Tumor Center, an interdepartmental center that supports research in brain tumors and promotes its translation into clinical trials.
Dr. van den Brink, Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation Service, is an immunologist and medical oncologist who is an expert in stem cell transplantation. The Chair he holds was established in honor of Dr. Houghton, former Chair of Sloan-Kettering Institute's Immunology Program, who has served at MSKCC for more than 25 years.
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For more information about these and other potential story ideas, contact Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Department of Public Affairs at: 212-639-3573 or at mediastaff@mskcc.org
