Newswise — New York University School of Medicine has appointed David A. Fishman, M.D, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Gynecologic Oncology. Dr. Fishman is a world-renowned expert in gynecologic oncology who has helped to advance the understanding of how ovarian cancer spreads. For the past five years, he has been Director of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program. With this appointment, NYU School of Medicine becomes the new home of the NCI program, a multi-institutional collaboration involving more than 50 research institutions within the U.S. and throughout the world. It is funded by the NCI's largest cumulative grant ever, over $17 million, for the early detection of ovarian cancer.
"The addition of Dr. Fishman to the faculty of NYU School of Medicine further strengthens our expertise in the care of women with gynecologic cancers," said John P. Curtin, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "The Department has already achieved overall excellence, with strong programs in in-vitro fertilization, pelvic reconstructive surgery, and maternal-fetal medicine, and Dr. Fishman's expertise in ovarian cancer early detection will significantly enhance our level of patient care."
In his new position, Dr. Fishman will also serve as Director of NYU's new Screening and Prevention Program. This program is a key component of the NYU Cancer Institute, which incorporates a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services. At NYU, Dr. Fishman will use his broad experience to establish new programs and bolster existing ones, ranging from basic cancer research to clinical trials to diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Fishman arrives at a time when NYU is greatly expanding its outpatient services for cancer patients through the opening this summer of the NYU Clinical Cancer Center. Located on East 34th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, this 13-story state-of-the-art facility will consolidate nearly all outpatient diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services.
A board-certified gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Fishman has made significant contributions to the field of cancer research. He and his collaborators have been developing several highly sophisticated blood tests to detect the activity patterns of proteins in the body, which can signal the presence of early-stage ovarian cancer. One of these tests appears to be especially promising, according to a study Dr. Fishman and his colleagues published in the June 2004 issue of the British journal Endocrine-Related Cancer.
Early detection, explains Dr. Fishman, is critical because it not only saves lives but may also prevent the need for chemotherapy and extensive surgery. Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, and is the fifth most-common cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2003 there were 25,400 new cases of ovarian cancer and 14,300 deaths from the disease. Because there is no reliable test for early ovarian cancer, the majority of patients are diagnosed after the disease has already spread to other parts of the body, which is why it is so deadly.
At NYU, Dr. Fishman plans to expand his early-detection research to other common forms of cancer. "It is our hope that we will be able to shift the paradigm in cancer diagnosis from the detection of advanced-stage disease to the detection of early-stage disease," he says.
Dr. Fishman comes to NYU School of Medicine from Northwestern University Medical School, where he was Vice-Chair of Gynecologic Oncology Research and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He completed his fellowship and residency in gynecologic oncology at Yale University, and earned his medical degree from Texas Tech University School of Medicine.
For patient information, call the National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program at 212-263-2566.
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