Dear MSK Community,
It’s remarkable that more people are surviving cancer today than at any point in human history.
By 2040, we expect that there will be more than 26 million cancer survivors in the United States alone and that 7 in 10 people diagnosed with cancer will be alive five years later. These aren’t just statistics — they represent millions of individual triumphs, families kept whole, and futures reclaimed.
Cancer is increasingly a chronic illness that can be managed, allowing people to return to the lives they want to live. This is extraordinary progress, and it fills me with hope.
Yet I also know that even when someone is declared “cancer free,” their life is forever changed.
When the intense regimen of treatments and appointments finally ends, a different journey begins. Patients must process what they’ve endured and navigate an uncertain path forward. Paradoxically, this transition into “survivorship” can bring its own anxiety. The care team who carried you through your darkest hours — with whom you may have forged deep bonds — now explains that continued visits aren’t medically necessary. It’s natural to feel anxious in that moment.
But you are not alone.
Our survivorship programs exist precisely for this reason. These teams specialize in managing the long-term physical and emotional effects of cancer. They understand the fear of recurrence and know how to help you cope.
In this issue of MSK News, you’ll encounter powerful stories from people who have survived cancer and discovered how to move forward. They offer honest reflections on adjusting to a new normal. Their journeys aren’t easy, but they prove what’s possible.
This issue also celebrates the kind of groundbreaking laboratory research that leads to new cancer treatments and better survival for more people.
You’ll learn how MSK has become a powerhouse for drug development, including our work on lung cancer therapies, continually refining them to reduce side effects and outmaneuver cancer’s resistance.
You’ll meet the scientists who are studying cancer cell metabolism and exploring how depriving cancer cells of fuel can stop them.
And you’ll hear from our new Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Ross Levine, whose conviction that we’re living in the golden age of cancer research offers tremendous reason for optimism.
The future Dr. Levine envisions — one in which far more people survive cancer and go on to live better and longer — is the future we’re building together every single day.
With gratitude and determination,
Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS
President and Chief Executive Officer