News
What's New in Hematology-Oncology at LIJ
- LIJ Physician and Feinstein Institute Leukemia Researcher Becomes President of American Society of Hematology
- $10M Gift to Advance Leukemia Research
- North Shore-LIJ Health System Names Kanti Rai, MD, as Recipient of Cancer Foundation Professorship
- LIJ Doctors Link Common Chemotherapy Drug to Jawbone Necrosis
LIJ Physician and Feinstein Institute Leukemia Researcher $10M Gift to Advance Leukemia Research Becomes President of American Society of Hematology
Press Release: 12/28/2005
Kanti R. Rai, MD, chief of hematology/oncology at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, was installed as president of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) at the organization’s recent 47th annual meeting in Atlanta. He served as ASH’s president-elect in 2005 and as its vice president in 2004.
With more than 14,000 members from around the world, ASH is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training and advocacy in hematology.
Dr. Rai is internationally recognized for his expertise in the advanced understanding and treatment of leukemia in adults. An investigator with The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, based in Manhasset, NY, Dr. Rai is known around the world for establishing the Rai clinical staging system for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which helps doctors to know how a patient will behave and how to plan treatments.
In recognition of his significant contributions in the field of leukemia and cancer, the Board of Trustees of the North Shore-LIJ Health System in May 2005 named Dr. Rai as the recipient of the Joel Finkelstein Cancer Foundation Professor of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The author of more than 100 medical journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Rai sits on the advisory boards of several journals and hematology/oncology societies. He serves on the board of directors of the National Cancer Institute's CLL Research Consortium, and has been president of the New York Society for the Study of Blood. He is a founding director and leader of the International Workshop on CLL.
Dr. Rai is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is board certified in pediatrics. He trained at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, and in nuclear medicine and hematology at LIJ. He received his medical degree from the University of Rajputana in Jaipur, India.
Media Contact: Terry Lynam, (516)465-2600
From The New Standard, Winter, 2006
$10M Gift to Advance Leukemia Research
MANHASSET — Peter and Susan Karches of Locust Valley, NY, recently presented The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research with a gift of $10 million over five years from the Karches Family Foundation for research into chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common adult leukemia in the United States.
The gift will expand the institute’s Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Program, led by internationally known CLL researchers Nicholas Chiorazzi, MD, and Kanti Rai, MD. Dr. Chiorazzi, a laboratory scientist and director and CEO of The Feinstein Institute, has been studying the cells of the immune system that give rise to the cancer in search of triggers that can be blocked, to prevent the disease from developing in the first place. Dr. Rai, chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, is a clinical hematologist oncologist and Feinstein Institute investigator who has been studying and treating many of the toughest cases of CLL in the country for more than three decades. In 1975, he developed a clinical staging system for the disease that is still in use today.
Mr. Karches, a former Morgan Stanley president and chief operating officer, was diagnosed with CLL in January 2000. Early in 2004, after numerous cycles of chemotherapy in various venues with limited success, his doctor referred him to Dr. Rai because of his expertise and long-standing reputation for treating tough cases. Since then, Mr. Karches has improved significantly, which he attributes to the excellent care he receives from Dr. Rai and his team at LIJ.
The gift from the Karcheses will allow the CLL researchers at The Feinstein Institute to expand their programs, hire additional investigators and build the infrastructure necessary to translate their laboratory discoveries into new experimental drugs and clinical trials. “There is a large population of CLL patients in the New York metropolitan area that are not treated at LIJ or North Shore University Hospital, but rather by oncologists in their local communities, so we’re not reaching as many patients as we could with promising experimental treatments,” said Dr. Rai. “We would like to work with oncologists out in the community to offer their patients additional options while allowing them to continue receiving care close to their homes.”
North Shore-LIJ Health System Names Kanti Rai, MD, As Recipient of Cancer Foundation Professorship
Press Release: 8/17/2004
The Board of Trustees of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System has named Kanti R. Rai, MD, chief of hematology/oncology at LIJ Medical Center in New Hyde Park, as the recipient of the newly created Joel Finkelstein Cancer Foundation Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dr. Rai is being recognized for his significant contributions in the field of leukemia and cancer, and the professorship will help advance clinical activities, research and education. He is internationally known for establishing the Rai clinical staging system for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which helps doctors to know how a patient's disease will behave and how to plan for treatments.
Established by the Joel Finkelstein Cancer Foundation, the professorship is another form of major philanthropic support. “Through an endowment, the donor assures over time, in perpetuity, that a major program will be supported by a leading individual, with high academic and clinical achievement,” said Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “Through the work of Dr. Rai, it is patients in our community and around the world who benefit from these programs.”
“Not only has Dr. Rai made seminal contributions in the field of leukemia when knowledge was sparse, he has helped so many people who had difficultly with cancer, and offered relief and cure,” said Lawrence Scherr, MD, senior vice president of academic affairs, and the Betsey Cushing Whitney dean and chief academic officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
The Joel Finkelstein Cancer Foundation Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is one of 11 endowed professorships at the health system. Recipients of these honored titles are serving at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and LIJ Medical Center.
The author of more than 150 medical journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Rai sits on the advisory boards of several journals and hematology/oncology societies. He is vice president of the American Society of Hematology and will take office as its president in 2006. Dr. Rai serves on the board of directors of the National Cancer Institute’s CLL Research Consortium, and has been president of the New York Society for the Study of Blood. He is also an investigator with the North Shore-LIJ Research Institute.
Dr. Rai is a recent recipient of the Timothy Gee Humanity in Medicine Award, conferred by the Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation, in honor of his compassion for his patients and his contributions to the advanced understanding and treatment of leukemia.
Dr. Rai is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is board certified in pediatrics. He trained at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, and in nuclear medicine and hematology at LIJ. He received his medical degree from the University of Rajputana in Jaipur, India.
To raise funds for cancer prevention, research and treatment, the Joel Finkelstein Cancer Foundation was founded in 1955 in memory of Joel Finkelstein who died of bone cancer. For nearly 50 years the foundation has provided significant support for cancer research, treatment and patient programs at LIJ.
LIJ Doctors Link Common Chemotherapy Drug to Jawbone Necrosis
Press Release: 12/13/2004
Doctors at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center recently discovered a link between a common chemotherapy drug and a serious bone disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). The discovery, published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, prompted both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Novartis, the manufacturer of bisphosphonates used in cancer chemotherapy, to issue warnings earlier this fall to physicians and dentists about the risk for this potential adverse effect. ONJ is a condition in which the bone tissue in the jaw fails to heal after minor trauma such as a tooth extraction, causing the bone to be exposed. The exposure can eventually lead to infection and fracture and may require long-term antibiotic therapy or surgery to remove the dying bone tissue.
The chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at LIJ, Salvatore Ruggiero, DMD, MD, and his staff reported that they were struck by a cluster of cancer patients with necrotic lesions in the jaw — a condition they rarely saw, in only about one to two patients a year. When they launched a study of patients’ charts, they found that 63 patients diagnosed with this condition over a three-year period shared only one common clinical feature: they had all received long-term bisphosphonate therapy.
Bisphosphonates are commonly used in tablet form to prevent and treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. Stronger forms are widely used in the management of advanced cancers that have metastasized to the bone, where the disease often causes bone pain and possibly even fractures. Several cancers can involve or metastasize to the bone, including lung, breast, prostate, multiple myeloma and others. In cancer chemotherapy, the drugs are given intravenously, and usually for long periods of time.
In their study, Dr. Ruggiero and his staff teamed up with Bhoomi Mehrotra, MD, in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at LIJ, and doctors in the Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Division at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Of the 63 patients diagnosed with ONJ between February 2001 and November 2003 at their centers, 56 were cancer patients who had received infusions of bisphosphonates for at least a year and seven were non-cancer patients who had been receiving long-term oral therapy for osteoporosis. The patients developed ONJ after normal bone trauma, such as a tooth extraction, while receiving bisphosphonate therapy. Rather than healing, the bone began to die, and the majority of patients required surgery to remove the diseased bone.
In the FDA MedWatch and Novartis alerts issued in late September, oncologists and dentists were advised of the addition of osteonecrosis of the jaw to the “Precautions” and “Adverse Reactions” sections on the labeling of injectable bisphosphonates, describing the spontaneous reports of the condition being found mostly in cancer patients. The alerts also recommend a dental examination with appropriate preventive dentistry in patients with risk factors such as cancer, chemotherapy, corticosteroids and poor oral hygiene prior to initiating treatment with bisphosphonates.
“Monitoring the dental health of patients on bisphosphonates is key because an early diagnosis may reduce the complications resulting from advanced destruction of the jaw bone,” said Dr. Ruggiero. “Since our paper was published and dentists became aware of the connection, many more patients with the condition have been identified, even in our own center. Prevention and early detection are so important to preserving the jaw bone in these individuals.” Individuals should attempt to avoid tooth extractions and other major dental work while on the drugs.
Bisphosphonates block the work of bone cells called osteoclasts, one of two important types of bone cells that are involved in the continuous process of bone remodeling in a delicate balancing act. During this process, osteoblasts — “the good guys” — put calcium in the matrix of the bone and make bone stronger, and osteoclasts — “the bad guys” — take calcium away, diminishing the internal strength of the bone. Bone remodeling is like a necessary game of tug-of-war between the goods guys and the bad. Bone mass and mineral content constantly adjust throughout the life cycle to support the places on the skeleton where the most outside force occurs.
Novartis’s Aredia® (pamidronate disodium) and Zometa® (zoledronic acid) injections are the two intravenous bisphophosphonates used in chemotherapy regimens. Novartis changed their labeling in August. Merck’s Fosamax® (alendronate) and Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals’s Actonel® (risedronate sodium) are the most commonly used oral bisphosphonates, which are only indicated for osteoporosis. Labeling for the oral forms has not been changed. “The oral form is much less potent than the intravenous form and appears to be substantially less likely to cause the problem,” said Dr. Ruggiero.