The American Cancer Society awarded Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center more than $2.1 million to support cancer research and reduce barriers to cancer care, Cision PR Newswire reported Sept. 15.
The largest grants — $792,000 and $660,000 — support lung cancer research led by Haiying Cheng, MD, PhD, and Kira Gritsman, MD, PhD.
Dr. Cheng found a gene called RICTOR is amplified in patients with lung tumors that have a high risk of spreading to the brain. The grant will help Dr. Cheng determine whether targeting RICTOR can treat lung cancer metastases or prevent them from forming.
Dr. Gritsman is studying crizotinib — a drug approved for treating lung cancer — with hopes of moving it swiftly into clinical trials.
The ACS grants will also streamline appointments by adding navigators to help individuals through neoadjuvant therapy, which shrinks a tumor prior to surgery. Currently, only 60 percent of MECC patients complete all NAT visits and up to 40 percent miss at least one due to treatment toxicity or socioeconomic factors.
The funding will also help tackle transportation barriers for low-income patients and add more free cancer screenings and continuing education courses for doctors and nurses.