Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has launched MSKCC India to provide access for patients with cancer in India to the institution’s world-renowned oncologists, research, clinical trials, and education. The effort stems from the institution’s core mission of advancing transformative cancer care through education and research worldwide.
As part of this first-of-its-kind offering, MSKCC India will provide remote opinions via video or written consultations. An MSKCC oncologist who specializes in the relevant type of cancer will review a patient’s medical records, test results, and other materials and provide a comprehensive written opinion, meet with the patient virtually using telemedicine technology, or speak with the patient’s local oncologist about the diagnosis and care plan. In some cases, the specialist may recommend that the patient travel to receive care at MSKCC in New York City. Services include: pathology diagnosis, radiology scan reviews, next-generation sequencing of a patient’s tumor and treatment recommendations, and travel assistance to New York City.
Sir Murray Brennan, MD
Mrinal Gounder, MD
Bringing Cancer Care Home
“Meeting the needs of cancer patients in India and improving their long-term health and survival rates will require close collaboration with the cancer community in India, and MSKCC India marks an important first step toward advancing such collaborations,” said Sir Murray Brennan, MD, Senior Vice President of International Programs at MSKCC. “MSKCC India will help serve the needs of cancer patients and their physicians to improve their cancer care.”
As part of this effort to bring world-class care to people in India diagnosed with cancer, MSKCC has partnered with iCliniq, a leading global telemedicine provider based in India. This partnership is the first of its kind for both iCliniq and MSKCC.
MSKCC India will open a physical location in Chennai, centrally located for patients and staff members. This location will serve as a hub for medical staff who will help patients coordinate written or virtual consultations, and they will be able to communicate in English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. If necessary, employees will also be able to collect medical records from patients’ homes, making the process more convenient for those using this service. Patients across India will be able to obtain a remote opinion from experts at MSKCC in the comfort of their homes or any Internet-enabled location without traveling to MSKCC India in Chennai.
“At [MSKCC], we are committed to leading in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of cancer and associated diseases through programs of excellence in research, education, and patient care. MSKCC India will help us provide high-quality care to more individuals by bringing together our experts, Indian doctors and scientists, patient advocacy groups, and other stakeholders,” said Mrinal Gounder, MD, a medical oncologist and Physician Ambassador to India and Asia at MSKCC. “This sort of comprehensive effort is critical to providing the level of care that patients need in India and beyond and to ultimately eradicate cancer in the 21st century globally.”
