Tomas Lyons, MB BCh, BAO, MRCPI, a medical oncologist at the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, died suddenly on September 29 at the age of 38.
During his career at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), he was a celebrated collaborator on multidisciplinary teams and actively involved in clinical trials in order to provide the best possible treatments for patients with breast cancer, as well as providing compassionate care and clear communication to his patients and their loved ones, noted MSK colleagues in a statement announcing his death. They further noted that Dr. Lyons was committed to compassionate care and communication with patients and loved ones. Both colleagues and trainees wanted to work with him for his clinical acumen and his ability to lift the spirits of those around him with his sense of humor and capacity to seek joy in the moment.
Tomas Lyons, MB BCh, BAO, MRCPI
“Tomas was an amazing man, full of kindness and humor. His patients loved him. His colleagues loved him. I just cannot convey how deeply he will be missed,” said Mark Robson, MD, Chief of the Breast Medicine Service at MSK.
In 2007, Dr. Lyons completed his Bachelor of Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics (MB BCh, BAO) degree at the University College Cork in Ireland. In 2010, he received his Member of the Royal
College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCPI) and completed internship and residency in internal medicine at Cork University Hospital in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Dr. Lyons completed his residency and fellowship in medical oncology at Cork University Hospital in 2016, with hospital rotations at Beaumont Hospital, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, and St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin.
Dr. Lyons joined MSK in 2016 to complete his advanced medical oncology fellowship. In 2016, he also received the prestigious Ainsworth Scholarship from the University of Cork to support his postgraduate fellowship in the United States. Dr. Lyons was a recipient of many awards throughout his career, including the 2014 and 2016 Oncology Research Award from the Irish Society of Medical Oncology, which he received for melanoma research.
Dr. Lyons was predeceased by his brother Sean who died at a young age from cancer. He is survived by his parents, TJ and Teresa; his partner, David; his siblings, Sinead, Brian, and Therese; brothers-in-law, Denis and Mark and sister-in-law, Laura; and nieces and nephews, as well as his extended family and a wide circle of friends and colleagues in the oncology community.
Dr. Lyons was born on October 27, 1981. He is formerly of Ballynote West, Kilrush County Clare, Ireland.
