Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

5 days ago | mskcc.org | Julie Grisham

The first drug for a rare and difficult-to-treat type of ovarian cancer has been granted accelerated approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The treatment, called avutometinib plus defactinib (Avmapki Fakzynja Co-pack), was developed to treat low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). The phase 2 clinical trial that resulted in the approval was led in the United States by gynecologic medical oncologist Rachel Grisham, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

1 week ago | mskcc.org | Julie Grisham

I conducted my dissertation research in the laboratory of John Maciejowski, PhD, whose work centers on cytosolic DNA sensing and innate immune signaling in chromosomally unstable cancers. These cancers frequently exhibit mitotic errors, leading to the formation of micronuclei — small, aberrant nuclear structures that encapsulate mis-segregated chromosomes or chromosomal fragments. Due to their fragile nuclear envelopes, micronuclei are prone to spontaneous rupture, exposing DNA to the cytosol.

3 weeks ago | mskcc.org | Julie Grisham

Doctors and scientists have known for nearly a decade that a precancerous blood condition called clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is present in one in three patients with solid tumors and is associated with poor cancer outcomes. People with CH are less likely to respond to treatment and are more likely to develop a secondary leukemia related to chemotherapy.

1 month ago | mskcc.org | Julie Grisham

For decades, cancers with mutations in the gene KRAS (KAY-ras) were considered “undruggable.” KRAS mutations are found in more than 20% of cancers. They are most common in lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer. Nearly four years ago, the first drug was approved to treat patients with one subtype of KRAS mutation. But there are many other subtypes, and it’s possible that targeting each one may require its own strategy.

1 month ago | mskcc.org | Julie Grisham

The blood cancers acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are extremely challenging to treat. While advances in immunotherapy have cured many patients with other blood cancers, they haven’t been successful for AML and MDS. Together, these diseases kill thousands of people in the United States every year.