About GCRT
How MSK’s GCRT Program Is Improving Colorectal Cancer Care In Nigeria
The burden of cancer is rapidly rising in low- and middle-income countries. It is estimated that by 2030, approximately 75% of cancer deaths worldwide will occur in low- and middle-income countries. Reasons for this global shift in the burden of cancer include increasing life expectancy, growing urbanization, rising population levels, and lifestyle changes in low- and middle-income countries. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) — one of the world’s most respected comprehensive centers devoted exclusively to cancer — has devoted 140 years to exceptional patient care, innovative research, and outstanding educational programs. As an international leader in cancer medicine, MSK is equally committed to programs that extend beyond a national scope. In 2011, MSK launched the GCRT (formerly GCDI) program to advance its mission to improve outcomes for people with cancer in low- and middle-income countries.
History
Dr. Isaac Alatise, a Nigerian surgeon, came to MSK for clinical training and research education in 2009 with the support of the philanthropic Alireza Soudavar and Mammadi Soudavar Memorial Funds. Following this visit, MSK established a partnership with Dr. Alatise’s home institution, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) in Ile Ife, Nigeria.
This collaboration proved to be mutually beneficial, and subsequently, the Global Cancer Disparities Initiatives (GCDI) program was established at MSK in 2011 to harness MSK’s expertise to address cancer burden globally. Aligned with this effort, Dr. T. Peter Kingham, Director of Global Cancer Disparities Initiatives, and Dr. Alatise founded the African Research Group for Oncology (ARGO) in 2013 to facilitate cancer research and training initiatives in Nigeria. ARGO, an NCI-recognized research consortium, seeks to generate data, to inform regional evidence-based management recommendations, identify effective cancer prevention and early detection strategies, increase access to cancer care, and improve cancer-care training in rural and underserved communities. The ARGO consortium has grown to now include 26 institutions across Nigeria, ten of which actively participate in research studies.
Read the 2025 ARGO Annual Report
In 2022, with the growth and expansion of the program, Dr. Victoria Mango joined as the Assistant Director. In addition to extensive work in Nigeria, the program has expanded to include MSK faculty from the Departments of Radiology and Pathology who are working in East Africa addressing education, clinical work, and research related to breast cancer.
GCRT Today
Since its founding, the Global Cancer Research & Training (GCRT) Program has grown into a multidisciplinary research, education, and capacity-building program that supports more than 115 active research studies and collaborations across Africa, Latin America, and North America. Now housed within Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Translational Research Administration (TRA), GCRT partners with clinicians, scientists, trainees, and healthcare professionals to strengthen cancer research infrastructure, expand educational opportunities, and improve cancer outcomes through sustainable global partnerships.
Today, GCRT’s work spans the full cancer care continuum—from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, implementation science, and workforce development—bringing together expertise from surgery, medical oncology, radiology, pathology, epidemiology, psychiatry, nursing, radiation oncology, and other disciplines.
