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Peter G. Steinherz
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Peter G. Steinherz Director, Leukemia and Lymphoma Studies
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I am a pediatric hematologist and oncologist who treats all the different cancers that occur in infants, children, and young adults. My research efforts are focused on the study of the biology of leukemia, lymphoma, and Wilms' tumor, and on the development of new therapies that improve the long-term survival of patients with these cancers.
For more than 30 years here at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, I have directed the administration of therapy to children and adolescents with leukemia. During this time, my colleagues and I developed new treatment protocols, including the New York I and New York II protocols, which are now used internationally. These protocols have improved the survival of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia from 50 percent to between 80 and 90 percent.
We have also studied new drugs and new combinations of drugs in patients with leukemia that has become resistant to standard therapies, and we have improved the survival of these children. We were among the first to recognize the stress that cancer and its treatment can have on children and their families, and we have described some of the long-term physical and emotional effects of cancer therapy on young patients. For many years, we have used interventions to minimize these effects.
I have been a member of the Leukemia Strategy Group of the Children's Cancer Group for more than 20 years. I have chaired or co-chaired 11 large national/international studies for the Group and have been a committee member of many other investigations. These research studies evaluate different treatments, including experimental therapies, for young patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or other cancers. I am a member of the committee of the National Comprehensive Cancer Center Network that develops national guidelines for the treatment of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, we have state-of-the-art therapies for cancers and cancer-related problems that are most frequently seen in young patients, but we also treat a number of children who have unique or unusual tumors or cancer-related illnesses. We treat each child as an individual and, when necessary, we will tailor-make therapies to meet their individual needs. Instead of trying to fit a patient to a therapy, we make the therapy fit the patient's needs.
Phone
212-639-7951
Education
MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residencies
The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center
Fellowships
Cornell University Medical College
Board Certifications
Pediatrics; Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Clinical Expertise
Pediatric Oncology; Leukemias; Lymphomas: Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma; Wilms' Tumor;
Developmental Chemotherapy
Department & Service
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