MSK has over 130 research laboratories, creating advances that provide new insights into cancer and life-saving treatments.
Collaboration between our scientists and doctors allows for new discoveries to move rapidly from our more than 130 laboratories to patient care. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), many physician-scientists are dedicated to translating cutting-edge research into better outcomes for the people we care for.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials investigate promising new treatments and have been key to every major advance in caring for people with cancer. Clinical trials provide eligible MSK patients with access to therapies, surgical techniques, and advanced technologies that are not available at other hospitals. At any given time, we are conducting more than 1,000 clinical trials for adults and more than 100 clinical trials for children.
MSK-IMPACT ™
No two cancers are the same. MSK scientists created MSK-IMPACTTM, a genomic test that can identify gene mutations in any solid tumor, regardless of its location in the body. MSK-IMPACT allows our doctors to match patients to targeted therapies that exploit weaknesses specific to that patient’s cancer. It is the first next-generation sequencing test to be authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It identifies mutations in 505 unique genes and other molecular changes in tumors.
MSK-IMPACT is helping patients with many different forms of cancer, including people with non-small cell lung cancer, who may benefit from new treatment options for their care.
Less Invasive Treatments
MSK physician-scientists have pioneered treatments that produce the best outcomes while being less invasive, less toxic, and more precise. This helps improve quality of life during and after treatment, allowing people to return to their lives more quickly.
Among many advances, MSK has developed treatments that mean fewer surgeries to treat colorectal cancer, less invasive surgery for lymph node removal in breast cancer, fewer and more precise radiation treatments for some forms of head and neck cancers, and less-invasive treatments for prostate cancer with fewer side effects.
MSK is also a leader in developing liquid biopsies, which seek to find signs of cancer in the bloodstream at its earliest stages, when it is most treatable.