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w MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER 1275 YORK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10021 (212) 879-3000 March 21, 1974 v Mr. Joseph F. Cullrnan, III Philip Morris, Inc. 100 Par 'Avenue New Yo~k, New York Dear Joe: The purpose of this letter is to give you a report of significant activities at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center over the past year and to express again our deep appreciation for your generous support. On July 1, Dr. Lewis Thomas, former Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center, succeeding the late Richard D. Vanderwarker. Dr. Thomas joins the leadership team that includes Dr. Edward J. Beattie, Jr., Chief Medical Officer of Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Robert A. Good, Presi- dent and Director of Sloan-Kettering Institute. We are most fortunate in having three such outstanding people to provide direction to the Center's programs. After Dr. Good's arrival here, the research strategy of the Center underwent detailed review and reassessment and has now been redesigned to focus on eight fields. The aim was to create more flexibility and to encourage the free interaction of investigators in different disciplines toward the solving of common problems. Still, the Center's essential purpose remains to ensure that all approaches, from the most basic and theoretical to the most pragmatic and applied, are brought to bear on the problem of eradicating cancer in man. The essence of the Center's development in this next formative phase of its history is to create the physical and intellectual environment that will link the research laboratory ever more firmly with the clinic, not only for the benefit of those in the region, but nationally and' inter- nationally. We take pride in the fact that some 2,000 physicians and 800 scientists trained at the Center are combating cancer in hospitals and medical centers across our nation and throughout the world. Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Dieeasea Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research Sloan-Kettering Division, Graduate School of Medical Scienoea, Cornell University

2 Although cancer cont'inues, to take its toll--present statistics indicate that the disease will eventually strike 52 million Americans now living--very real progress is being achieved. Advances have'been rnade along several fronts. One is chemotherapy, the treatment of cancer with chemicals, a field that owes much of its progress to work at our ins titution. Largely as a result of the use of combinations of three or four anti- cancer drugs administered in carefully constructed patterns of dosages and times, 92 percent of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia are put into remission~ at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Fifty percent of these patients maintain their remissions, under treatment, for five years as compared to only 23 percent under conventional chemotherapy. Although childhood leukemia is not yet a curable disease, the number of "presump- tive" cures rises each year as young patients drop out of treatment pro- grams during prolonged remissions and remain free of disease without medication. In adult myelocytic leukemia, a much more stubborn tumor, 65 per- cent of previously untreated adults with leukemia were put into complete remission with combination drug therapy. Several are still in remission after three years of treatment; a few years ago, only 10 to 20 percent of adult leukemia patients could gain even short remissions. Even prolonged chemotherapy, however, may not be effective in wiping out the last cancer cells. More and more investigators are exploring avenues of immunotherapy to cure patients of disseminated cancers. Immunotherapy utilizes the body's natural defenses to take over the last bit of cell kill. There is now strong proof of the connection between lack of immunity and the malignant process. Indeed, leading researchers at this Center believe that cancer cannot manifest itself unless the patient's immune system is defective. Considerable research is thus being directed to ways of protecting, stimulating and supplementing the immune response to help fight cancer. The new Memorial Hospital is virtually completed and the former Hospital and James Ewing Pavilion are being renovated for laboratories and ancillary supporting space. This represents the culmination of a ten-year $U03-million, building program for the construction of basic and clinical research laboratories and patient care facilities. Almost $85 million of this total has been raised t'o date. The U. S. Government has funded: only about $4 million of this expansion, all of it in the research area. The major, $81-million portion has been contributed by concerned individuals, corporations and foundations. We are actively seeking to secure the remaining $18 million required to finance this capital program.

3 A requisite to the optimum implementation of all our programs, capital or ongoing, is, of course, adequate funding. Despite the fact that additional monies for an expanded research~ program are expected to come from governmental agencies, the excess of operating costs over anticipated support this year is projected at more than $800, 000 for research alone. If we use general reserves, we are reducing our endow- ment income for the future and thus increasing the amount required from outside sources for years to come. There truly has never been a time when private support has been more needed nor when our Center could use it more effectively. The exciting developments here, coupled with the national focus on the cancer problem, offer an unprecedented opportunity for the public to join us in partnership toward the achievement of our ultimate objective--the complete control of this devastating disease. The history of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Cente r is testimony to the understanding and generosity of its many friends in responding to our call. I am confident they will reaffirm their faith and trust in us as we relentlessly pursue the goal we all share. In closing, I wish to thank you again for having contributed so much to the progress already achieved. We most earnestly hope we may look forward to your continuing support. c'_~ o^^t CI La(zrance S. Rockefeller Chairman of the Board cc: Mr. James C. Bowling