The Mayo Clinic has received an $11 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to support research addressing current and long-term unmet healthcare needs of people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The NCI-funded project known as the "Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes Cohort Study" is a collaborative effort among multiple institutions. Dr. Peter Martin, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is serving as the Weill Cornell Medicine site Principal Investigator for this study, and Dr. John Leonard, the department's Vice Chair for Clinical Research, is a participating investigator.
Dr. Peter Martin
NHL originates in the lymphatic system, the very system that ordinarily serves as a disease-fighting network spread throughout the body. When this system is taken over by NHL, potentially lethal tumors develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Seventy thousand people are diagnosed with NHL in the U.S. each year. It is estimated that there are 650,000 NHL survivors living in America today, reflecting a trend towards increased numbers of survivors over the past two decades.
As Principal Investigator at the Weill Cornell site, Dr. Martin, who is the Charles, Lillian, and Betty Neuwirth Clinical Scholar in Oncology, will be overseeing the recruitment of participants and reporting of outcomes. "The LEO Collaboration will be the largest study of it's kind anywhere in the world and will undoubtedly lead to important, impactful discoveries. We look forward to enrolling participants at Weill Cornell as we seek avenues to increase long-term prognosis and survivorship for those living with NHL," says Dr. Martin.
Working with participating investigators, Dr. John Leonard and Dr. Giorgio Inghirami (Pathology, Weill Cornell Medical College). "This multi-institutional collaborative study group, supported by the NCI, has a highly productive track record. We are very happy to be a part of it," says Dr. Leonard.
Both Drs. Leonard and Martin are faculty members of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology. The LEO project includes investigators from the Mayo Clinic, Weill Cornell Medical College, Emory University/Grady Health System, the University of Miami Health System/Jackson Memorial Hospital, the University of Iowa, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.