How This MSK Center Takes Care of Younger Patients With Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancers

How This MSK Center Takes Care of Younger Patients With Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancers

This is the story of one of those patients, Rebecca Genter Lerner, a 32-year-old diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer just weeks before her wedding day.
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 Memorial Sloan Kettering medical oncologist Andrea Cercek

Andrea Cercek, MD

Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Colon cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Anal cancer

My Specialties

  • Clinical trials
  • Immunotherapy
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Dr. Cercek's Office Information
Languages: English & Spanish
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Get to Know Me

I am a physician-scientist and medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, particularly colorectal cancer, appendiceal (appendix) cancer, and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). I see patients at Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion in New York City.

I am the Section Head of Colorectal Cancer and also the founder and co-director of the Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). This clinic — the first of its kind in the world — is dedicated solely to the specific needs of people under 50 who have colorectal or other GI cancers.

This research and patient care center provides coordinated and holistic care that focuses on concerns including quality of life during and after treatment, preserving fertility, and the long-term effects of surviving cancer. 

Another important aim of our center is to answer the question of why cancer is becoming more prevalent in a younger generation, identify who is at risk, and how we can better screen them and prevent this cancer from occurring at such a young age. This MSK-led research has inspired centers worldwide and spurred national and international collaborations.

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My research is focused on novel biomarker-driven, therapeutic approaches and treatments for colorectal cancer and other GI malignancies. I design and execute multidisciplinary clinical trials and research initiatives with the goals of advancement of science and improvement in patient outcomes and quality of life.

Some of my current research is focused on investigating if the body’s own immune system could be deployed to attack cancer cells in early-stage rectal cancer, using a form of immunotherapy called a checkpoint inhibitor. We’ve seen great success with this type of immunotherapy in mismatch repair deficient tumors—tumors that form when the DNA mismatch repair system is unable to repair mistakes that happen during cell division—and are continuing to expand clinical trials to target other biomarkers. The goal of this work is to help people overcome cancer while preserving their quality of life and avoiding surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

In addition to my research and clinical care, I am a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and play an active role and serve as an organizing member of several national and international committees including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

 

What I Do at MSK

I'm a gastrointestinal (GAS-troh-in-TES-tih-nul) medical oncologist, which is a cancer doctor who specializes in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. This includes anal, colorectal, esophageal, gastric (stomach), liver, and pancreatic cancers. We also treat GI stromal tumors and neuroendocrine tumors.

  • Section Head, Colorectal Cancer
  • Co-Director, Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancers
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Colon cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Anal cancer
  • Appendiceal (appendix) cancer and conditions
  • Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma)

My Specialties

  • Clinical trials
  • Immunotherapy
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, New York Medical College

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine - New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Fellowships

  • Hematology/Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine
  • Medical Oncology

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctors (2022-2025)
  • TIME100 Most Influential People in Health (2024-2025)
  • Castle Connolly: Top Doctors New York Metro Area (2022-2023)

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Current Patients
Request an appointment by logging in to MSK MyChart or calling your Care Team. If you are not enrolled in MSK MyChart, ask your Care Team to send you an invitation. You can also go to MSK MyChart and select “Sign up now.”

Contact and Location

Dr. Cercek sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion
160 East 53rd Street New York NY 10022
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Looking to see a doctor at a different location? See all MSK locations.

Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Young Onset doctors

See all Gastrointestinal Oncology Service doctors

Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Cercek’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Andrea Cercek discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • AbbVie
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Agenus Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Amgen
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Daiichi Sankyo
    Professional Services and Activities
  • GlaxoSmithKline
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Haystack Oncology, Inc.
    Equity
  • Illumina
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Janssen Oncology, Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Merck & Co Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Seagen
    Professional Services and Activities

If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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