Dr. Manuel Hidalgo

Scientists in recent years have found that tumor cells biopsied from cancer patients can be grown in the lab into specialized tissues called organoids that mimic many aspects of the organ from which they are derived.

With COVID-19 limiting resources and presenting logistical challenges for elective treatments, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian clinicians offer guidance on treating cancer in three recently published papers.

A triple combination of an investigational drug that enables immune cells to infiltrate tumors, an immunotherapy drug and chemotherapy showed promising responses in patients with the most common type of metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to data from an international phase 2a clinical trial led by Weill Cornell Medicine and Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center investigators.

Preclinical work suggests the targeted drug palbociclib may boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer if the two treatments are given in the right sequence.

Dr. Manuel Hidalgo, a leading physician-scientist who specializes in pancreatic cancer and drug development, has been named chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology in the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective June 1.