Following New York state guidance, MSK has suspended offering the J & J/Janssen vaccine. We continue to offer the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to our eligible patients. Appointments can be scheduled here. For more on the J & J vaccine, read this.
Nai-Kong V. Cheung, MD, PhD
Medical Oncologist
Titles
Enid A. Haupt Chair in Pediatric Oncology
Clinical Expertise
Pediatric Oncology; Neuroblastoma and Developmental Tumors of Childhood; Immunotherapy; Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation
Dr. Cheung accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.
Aetna
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with Aetna HMO, POS, and PPO plans. Aetna does not include us in any of the plans you can purchase through the insurance exchanges or through Medicare. Please ask your insurance if you need a one-time referral. MSK has an agreement with the Aetna Transplant Program for all Aetna's commercial products.
Blue Cross Blue Shield
In New York State
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (Wellpoint) of New York HMO, EPO, PPO, and POS plans, with the following exceptions:
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield does not include us in any of the plans you can buy through the insurance exchanges.
Memorial Sloan Kettering is not an in-network provider for Empire's Medicare Managed Care plan known as Mediblue).
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
In New Jersey
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with some Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey plans for individuals, families, and small businesses. For example, the PPO plan is in-network with our Manhattan locations.
Horizon Blue Cross HMO is only in-network with our Basking Ridge, Bergen and Monmouth locations. It does not allow access to our Manhattan facilities.
Horizon Blue Cross PPO is in network with our Basking Ridge, Bergen, Monmouth and Manhattan locations.
OMNIA Plans: Tier I EPO based plan policy is only in-network with our Basking Ridge, Bergen and Monmouth locations and does not allow access to our Manhattan sites. Tier II EPO is only in-network with our Manhattan sites if it is a blue-card plan (there would be a suitcase logo indicating PPO on the front of the card).
Other plans may only be in-network at our Basking Ridge, Bergen or Monmouth locations.
Outside New York State and New Jersey
Some, but not all, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans outside of New York and New Jersey include Memorial Sloan Kettering as an in-network provider. Contact your insurance to find out if your plan provides in-network access to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Health Insurance Exchanges
We understand that there may be many complexities involved with insurance coverage purchased through the health exchange network of the Affordable Care Act. We’re here to help. If you have questions about how your care will be covered by an insurance provider, or need help navigating a change in coverage, please call us at 646-227-3378; if you are not a resident of New York, you can call us at 866-248-1274. Our team is here to listen to your concerns and assist you in any way we can. We want our care to be as accessible and affordable for as many people as possible.
CIGNA
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with CIGNA's HMO, POS, and PPO plans. CIGNA does not include us in any of the plans you can buy through the insurance exchanges.
If you are a New York State resident: Please ask your insurance if you need a one-time referral.
If you live outside of New York State: Please ask your insurance if you have in-network access to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
EmblemHealth (including GHI, HIP, ConnectiCare, and Vytra)
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with EmblemHealth’s PPO, EPO, POS, HMO plans and Medicare plans. Emblem Health does not include us in any of its Select Care network plans. EmblemHealth includes GHI, HIP, Vytra, and ConnecticCare (in NYS Only). You must bring a referral from your Emblem primary care doctor to your first appointment.
HealthFirst
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with HealthFirst’s commercial products; these commercial products are not purchased on the insurance exchanges.
HealthSmart
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with HealthSmart’s Accel, HSPC, and HPO networks.
Humana
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by Humana.
Interlink Health Services
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by Interlink Health Services.
Lifetrac
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by Lifetrac.
MagnaCare
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider for all MagnaCare health plans except those products you can buy through the insurance exchanges.
Medicaid
New York State Medicaid covers physician and hospital services at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Patients are responsible for co-payments. We also have contractual relationships involving Medicaid Managed Care plans.
Medicare
Hospital and physician services at Memorial Sloan Kettering are covered by standard Medicare insurance. You are responsible for co-insurance and deductible costs.
In New York: Memorial Sloan Kettering’s New York locations are in-network with the EmblemMedicare Advantage Plans.
In New Jersey: Memorial Sloan Kettering’s New Jersey locations in Basking Ridge, Bergen and Monmouth are in-network with the Horizon Medicare Advantage Plan. This plan is not accepted for care provided at MSK’s New York locations.
If you are enrolled in any other Medicare Advantage plan, please contact your insurance carrier to determine your benefits and coverage at Memorial Sloan Kettering since your access may be limited.
Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with some Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS plans. Contact your insurance carrier to find out if your plan provides in-network access to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by Multiplan.
Multiple Insurance Plans
If you are covered by more than one insurance plan, you will want to determine your benefits from both plans. First, you need to determine which one is your primary insurance provider by contacting your employee benefits office or your insurance carriers. After you find out which is your primary insurance provider, you should then contact your insurance carrier to determine if you have access to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
MVP
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with some MVP plans. Contact your insurance carrier to find out if your plan provides in-network access to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
New York State Employee Health Insurance Plan (Empire Plan)
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider for New York State employees who have enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's Cancer Resource Services. If you have the Empire Plan, you should call Cancer Resources Services at 866-936-6002 to verify and enroll in this coverage.
Oscar
Memorial Sloan Kettering is in-network with Oscar’s Circle Plus Network, a part of its Small Group Broad line that is offered only to select small business groups. Oscar does not include Memorial Sloan Kettering as an in-network provider for any of its individual plans. Please confirm eligibility with your insurance carrier.
Other Coverage Options
We have agreements with several insurance companies that may provide additional coverage for cancer patients. These benefit programs include:
AXA Assistance USA
Beech Street
Integrated Health Plans
National Health Administrators
National Preferred Provider Network
UnitedHealthcare's Cancer Resource Services
United Resource Network
Veterans Choice Program
Oxford
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with Oxford’s Freedom and Liberty plans as well as the Metro Plan (which is only offered to small business groups and no longer offered as individual plans). Please confirm with your insurance if you need a one-time referral. Note: Oxford’s Medicare Managed Care plan — Secure Horizon — does not include Memorial Sloan Kettering as an in-network provider. Oxford does not include us in any of the plans you can buy through the insurance exchanges.
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by Specialty Care Management.
TRICARE
Hospital and physician services may be covered by TRICARE. Please call your TRICARE plan to confirm coverage at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
UnitedHealthcare
Memorial Sloan Kettering is an in-network provider with UnitedHealthCare's HMO, POS, and PPO plans. Please confirm with your insurance if a one-time referral is needed.
UnitedHealthCare's Medicare Managed Care plan does not include Memorial Sloan Kettering as an in-network provider.
United does not include us in any of the plans you can buy through the insurance exchanges.
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a designated Center of Excellence by UnitedHealthcare.
Memorial Sloan Kettering has locations throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. These locations offers many services, including screening, chemotherapy, and medical testing.
MD, Harvard Medical School; PhD, Harvard Medical School
Residencies
Pediatrics - Stanford University
Fellowships
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - Stanford University
Board Certifications
Pediatrics; Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
I am a pediatric oncologist at MSK Kids who specializes in immunologic approaches to diagnose and treat pediatric cancers. My main focus is the treatment of neuroblastoma, a tumor arising from primitive cells of the sympathetic nervous system which primarily affects young children.
My colleagues and I have developed therapies that combine multiple approaches, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, isotretinoin (a chemical cousin of vitamin A), and more importantly, targeted therapy with a form of immune treatment called monoclonal antibodies. These strategies have dramatically extended the lives of our patients with metastatic neuroblastoma. Today, more than 50 percent of these patients treated at MSK Kids survive the disease, compared with fewer than 5 percent in the 1980s. In fact, immunotherapy has now become the standard of care for patients with metastatic neuroblastoma. Moreover, localized neuroblastoma is now considered a curable cancer, and many patients with this stage of the disease are cured with surgery alone.
Our team is also actively involved in early-phase clinical trials of promising therapies, including biologic agents and vaccines, natural killer cells, and combinations of these novel approaches with conventional treatments. We hope that effective new strategies for neuroblastoma will serve as a model for the treatment of other metastatic solid tumors in children and adolescents.
Read more
In the laboratory, we are evaluating markers of “minimal residual disease” (low levels of cancer remaining after treatment), which may predict the risk of early metastasis and recurrence, and discovering novel treatment targets in tumors. We are also engineering the next generation of antibodies to make them more potent and “human-like,” as well as arming these antibodies with either T lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) or radioactive substances to diagnose and treat neuroblastoma. We believe many of these innovative antibodies may be useful for treating other solid tumors in adolescents and even those in adults.
We are assessing new drugs that may overcome the resistance that neuroblastoma often develops after prolonged chemotherapy. We are also trying to unearth the genetic and biochemical features of neuroblastoma to determine if a tumor’s profile at the time of diagnosis, metastasis, or relapse can tell us how aggressive the tumor may be, and what kind of therapy may be most effective. Our major thrust continues to be the translation of novel therapies from the laboratory to the clinic, where they may help our patients.
The team of experts at MSK Kids treats more patients with neuroblastoma than any other institution in the world. Using treatment approaches based on the findings of rigorous medical research, we are able to achieve better outcomes for our patients. Families who come to us benefit from the dedication and compassion of individuals from various disciplines who share the vision and the desire to eliminate this devastating disease.
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.
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.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Cheung’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.
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.
Nai-Kong V. Cheung discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. Intellectual Property Rights; Ownership / Equity Interests
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 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, 2019 through disclosure submission in spring 2020). 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 ecoi@mskcc.org.
