December 2009 Lately@MSKCC

Our experienced team of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who treat mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the tissue that lines the body's internal organs, is dedicated to providing the highest-quality treatment and care. Our patients also have access to innovative therapies through our program of clinical trials. In this section, you will find up-to-date information about our experience treating patients with mesothelioma, our services, and our research.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is committed to providing cancer patients aged 65 and older with the treatment, facilities, and support they need. With this goal in mind, Memorial Sloan-Kettering offers the services of a multidisciplinary geriatric team through the 65+ Program. This team includes oncologists, geriatricians (physicians who specialize in the care of older adults), a geriatric nurse practitioner, nurses, social workers, a geriatric nutritionist, psychiatrists, a geriatric pharmacist, and members of the Pain and Palliative Care Service, Rehabilitation Department, and Integrative Medicine Service.

Results from studies in cell cultures and mouse models suggest that the experimental targeted therapy PU-H71 may be effective against one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.

A new study from researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has found that the majority of surgeons treating prostate cancer in the United States have extremely low annual caseloads, potentially leading to increased rates of both surgical complications and cancer recurrence.

In clinical trials for cancer, it is standard for clinicians rather than patients to report adverse symptom side effects from treatments, such as nausea and fatigue. At present, patient self-reporting, although important, is not a well studied source of this information. A new longitudinal study from researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center finds that while clinicians' and patients' reporting of treatment side effects are very different from each other, together they provide a more complete, clinically meaningful picture of the treatment experience.

Watch as Memorial Sloan-Kettering physicians Karyn Goodman, José Guillem, and Leonard Saltz, discuss risk reduction, screening guidelines, surgical treatment, and radiation therapy for colorectal cancer in a roundtable discussion moderated by Max Gomez of WCBS-TV.

Your generosity during the holiday season builds hope by encouraging more rapid progress in the fight against cancer. We hope you will consider making a tax-deductible year-end gift -- in your own name or in honor of a loved one -- to benefit research, education, and outstanding patient care.

Presented by our Integrative Medicine Service, these pages provide evidence-based information about herbs, botanicals, supplements, and more.

The winter issue of Bridges, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's newsletter for survivors written by survivors, is now available online. Bridges offers a forum where patients and their families can share stories of inspiration and hope, as well as the challenges that accompany the cancer survivor's journey.