The mission of the NYU Cancer Institute is to decrease and eliminate cancer as a significant health problem throughout New York, the nation, and the world, by developing and maintaining excellent programs in patient care, research, education, and prevention. What makes us different?

We are part of the NYU Medical Center, a world-renowned academic medical center located in midtown Manhattan. We are called a "matrix cancer center," meaning we are a center without walls operating within a larger medical institution. This means that if a patient who is being treated for cancer has another non-cancer medical need, such as heart disease, we have expert medical staff in place to provide that care, too. Patients can get all the care they need in one convenient location.

We are part of a larger university family. Our staff can make use not only of other resources at NYU Medical Center, but also programs at New York University's other schools, including those at the Washington Square campus in lower Manhattan. For example, our staff often consults with professionals in NYU's highly regarded mathematics and neuroscience programs.

We have an established biomedical research program. Scientists in the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and other laboratories at NYU School of Medicine are working not only to understand how cancer behaves in laboratory models, but also normal cell behavior. Understanding how basic biological processes occur in healthy individuals can glean insights into what may go awry to cause cancer. Such "translational research" has implications for improving the care of patients with cancer.

We serve a diverse patient population. Our patients come from all cultural backgrounds, from a variety of socioeconomic levels, and from many different countries. Since cancer patterns tend to vary according to such demographics, this means our doctors and other healthcare professionals learn a great deal about cancer by observing its presentation and behavior in different patient groups. Such knowledge can lead to the development of better diagnostic and treatment services for all patients, regardless of their background.