March 23, 2004
New melanoma program launched at Dana-Farber
David E. Fisher, MD, PhD
Melanoma cells (image courtesy of National Cancer Institute)
Melanoma patients are seen by medical oncologists in conjunction with the Cutaneous Oncology Disease Center on Dana 11, where dermatologists and medical oncologists have been treating melanoma and other skin cancers for the past five years. Thomas Kupper, MD, directs the center and also heads a skin cancer SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) that directs federal research dollars to DFCI, Brigham and Women"s Hospital, and other Harvard-affiliated hospitals. The new melanoma program will also include pathologists, surgeons, and radiologists to provide a multidisciplinary approach to the clinical and scientific questions posed by the disease.
Griffin, noting the expertise in this disease at MGH, Beth Israel Deaconess, and Dana-Farber, says, "There"s a critical mass in advanced melanoma research and care in this city. We want to organize these scientists through the SPORE and the clinical programs to move the field forward as fast as we can."
The new program, adds Fisher, is aimed at "accelerating the rate at which laboratory findings can be translated into therapies for melanoma — and letting this be known in the community."