Press Releases

The Starr Foundation today announced that it has made a $100 million grant to create a wide-ranging cancer consortium to coordinate the efforts of five internationally renowned research institutions in the fight against cancer. Joining this ambitious undertaking are The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is now poised to take greater advantage of a new era in cancer research and education with the opening of a state-of-the-art research center, the establishment of a new graduate school, and the founding of a novel research program in human oncology.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) opened a new state-of-the-art outpatient cancer treatment facility in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, today. The new 85,000-square-foot facility incorporates the latest concepts in therapeutic design and offers the most advanced cancer care services.

A retrospective study by urologists at MSKCC and their colleagues, suggests that this practice needs to be re-evaluated. Researchers add that with advances in imaging, almost 70 percent of kidney cancer patients have their tumor detected at a very small size allowing surgeons to perform less radical surgery with superior results.

The Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative, comprised of three leading New York City biomedical research institutions -- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Medical College of Cornell University -- has announced the first wave of stem cell research projects to be funded through a $50 million gift from The Starr Foundation.

Peter Scardino, MD, has been named the new Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has opened a new 72,000-square-foot surgical center that was uniquely designed to take advantage of the latest medical technology while enhancing patient safety and efficiency of care.

ATLANTA, June 5, 2006 - A new multicenter study is the first to suggest that the prophylactic removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes may provide a different benefit for women who carry a genetic mutation in the <i>BRCA2</i> gene than for those who have a <i>BRCA1</i> genetic mutation. The results of the study, which are being presented today at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, also provide the strongest evidence to date that this surgery significantly reduces the overall risk of BRCA-associated breast and ovarian cancers.

ATLANTA, June 4, 2006 - According to a new study, the drug sunitinib malate (Sutent®) is more effective than the current standard cytokine treatment given as an initial therapy for patients with advanced kidney cancer, also known as metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The study is being presented today at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) today announced a major commitment from publisher, real estate developer, and MSKCC Board member Mortimer B. Zuckerman of $100 million from his charitable trust toward Memorial Sloan Kettering's new cancer research facility, including a 23-story laboratory structure that opens this month. Mr. Zuckerman's donation is the largest single commitment by an individual in Memorial Sloan Kettering's history.