Cancer Treatment and Research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is by far the largest and oldest Cancer Center in the world. The MSKCC offers advanced forms of education, treatment, and research services at its 432 bed Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital, which is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Numerous MSKCC satellite facilities provide critical cancer services to patients at various other locations in Manhattan, Westchester County, and Long Island, NY, as well as a new, comprehensive outpatient facility in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. On average, the MSKCC admits nearly 22,000 new cancer patients that contribute to over 443,000 outpatient visits annually.

The entire MSKCC network has nearly 10,000 employees, including approximately 670 attending physicians aided by nearly 1,700 nurses. The MSKCC is globally recognized cancer fighting center that offers affiliated services and ongoing education programs through a number of universities and medical schools, including the Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

A National Network of Cancer Education, Treatment, and Research Centers

Due to the congressional lobbying efforts of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Cancer Act (NCA) was signed into law in 1971. The NCA gave legislative authority to the NCI plan to establish a national network of cancer centers in the United States, each of these centers to be closely affiliated with a leading university. Today, there are 63 National Cancer Centers in the country, and the NCI designation is only awarded to those institutions that comply with strict NCI guidelines that govern the delivery of cancer services to local area residents and the cancer community at large.

Cancer Research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Advanced cancer research programs are a critical component of each of the nation's Cancer Centers, and bench (laboratory) and clinical (patient involved) research scientists at the MSKCC are engaged in nationally recognized research programs designed to further the fight against cancer. Hundreds of MSKCC cancer research projects seek to find new ways to understand and manage the disease, with the discovery of a cure for cancer being the ultimate goal. As with all Cancer Centers, research is generally confined to finite areas of study, and the MSKCC currently sponsors eight such research programs that are briefly outlined below:

Cancer Biology and Genetics: This area of interdisciplinary research seeks to combine areas of clinical knowledge on the origin, progression, patient outlook, and prevention of cancer while investigating new therapies to manage and cure the disease.
Cell Biology: The mission here is to better understand normal cell behaviors on the molecular level. Cell mechanisms that are disrupted by malignant disease are studied to determine what biological remedies may be developed to prevent normal cell behavior disruption.
Computational Biology: Innovative technologies are explored in order to create computer models that mimic biological processes of whole organisms and molecules. The goal here is to use these computer models to formulate accurate prognoses in a clinical setting.
Developmental Biology: Biological mechanisms that effect cell differentiation (specialization), cell growth, proliferation, and shape (morphogenesis) are studied to identify anomalies that will lead to a better understanding of cancer on a cellular level.
Immunology: Researchers at the MSKCC seek to translate immune system function knowledge into viable clinical therapies.
Molecular Biology: The focus here is to better understand how normal cell growth is kept in check by the body's own immune system functions.
Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry: Interdisciplinary, translational research that seeks to design anti-cancer pharmaceutical and other chemistry-based and radiation therapies through increased knowledge of the factors that resist therapeutics. Researchers in this program also look at the broader issues of the origins of cancer, its prevention and associated risk factors.
Structural Biology: Collaborative studies designed to achieve a better understanding of structural and mechanistic biological functions. This study seeks to identify the structural foundation of malignant disease associated alterations in macromolecules in order to develop innovative tumor fighting therapies.

Patient Care at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

The MSKCC makes its state-of-the-art cancer services more convenient to residents in the area through its numerous Manhattan, Westchester Country, and Long Island, NY, and Basking Ridge, NJ satellite facilities. A full spectrum of cancer treatments are offered by the MSKCC, with specialized services for adult and pediatric cancer patients located throughout the region. Contact information at the close of this summary will link you the MSKCC website where you will find a complete directory of MSKCC satellite facilities, as well as comprehensive information on the specialized cancer treatment services each facility offers.

Due to the research arm of the MSKCC, the institution offers a select group of cancer patients the possibility of taking part in one of the many clinical trials being conducted at the Cancer Center. Oncologists and clinical researchers work closely with patients in order to identify those individuals whose medical condition and other factors warrant their inclusion in a clinical trial, and for many individuals, these trials offer a viable cancer treatment option.

The MSKCC augments its patient care with a wide variety of cancer support services such as counseling in the areas of: psychosocial; emotional; grief; ethics; genetics; men's and women's health; inter and non-denominational spiritual counseling, specialized pediatric counseling and more. The MSKCC provides patients with information on nearby community resources while also assisting patients with financial and insurance related issues. Additionally, the Manhattan-based Cancer Center extends its treatment and other cancer services to individuals beyond the walls of its facilities through a variety of community outreach programs

Contact the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

The main toll-free phone number is (212) 639-2000, and for a more complete phone listing directory or to learn more about the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, please visit their website at www.mskcc.org/

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue
New York, NY 10065
Google map for Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

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