The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center will be home to the largest gathering of hematologic experts ever at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), including specialists in blood and marrow stem cell transplants, chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and nonmalignant blood disorders.
“The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at MSK builds on this institution’s rich history as a leader, pioneer, and world-renowned contributor in hematologic oncology and gives us the resources needed to continue providing innovative new treatments in a truly caring environment,” explained Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD, Head of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies.
Since the world’s first successful stem cell transplant between a patient and an unrelated donor was completed at MSK in 1973, the institution has been a leader in research in stem cell transplantation, and MSK doctors and researchers have created many of the methods widely used today. Because of this expertise, MSK patients often have excellent results: Their one-year survival rate for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is the best in the tristate region, according to the results of an independent study done by the National Marrow Donor Program. In recent years, members of MSK’s Division of Hematologic Malignances played an important role in the development of seven drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for hematological malignancies.
Complementing the breadth of services available at the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering is an approach grounded in collaboration and coordinated care. For many patients, this means they can receive multiple services in a single visit, reducing their stress, waiting and travel time, and time away from what matters most; for clinicians, it means fostering face-to-face connections with colleagues. Research supports how this coordinated care can improve patient outcomes.
“At the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at MSK, we are focused on increasing access and improving outcomes,” said Sergio Giralt, MD, Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service “We are able to accomplish both of these by building on MSK’s legacy and continuing to push ourselves to the forefront of caring and innovative treatment strategies. This new facility is literally opening a new door to the future of cancer care.”
In addition, the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering will feature highly innovative medical technology to deliver lifesaving treatment with high precision. This includes one of the first MR-linacs in the United States. The MR-linac marries radiation therapy with MRI, a combination of novel technologies that together deliver unprecedented precision in targeting cancer cells. Among its benefits, MR-linac allows care teams to adapt treatments very quickly to changes in the patient’s tumors. Specialists will use this technology to treat a variety of cancer types, including those in the upper and lower gastrointestinal systems, spine, and prostate. In addition, clinical trials will actively investigate this technique and its potential in improving outcomes.
The center will also be the home to more than 300 early-phase clinical trials. The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering has been specifically designed as a world-class facility for clinical trials so investigators can more quickly bring breakthrough treatments to the people cared for at MSK and patients everywhere.
