The world's oldest and largest private cancer center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has devoted more than a century to patient care as well as to innovative research, making significant contributions to new and better therapies for the treatment of cancer.

Founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital by a group that included John J. Astor and his wife, Charlotte, the original building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan began its move to its present location on York Avenue in 1936 when John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated the land upon which, in 1939, Memorial Hospital was constructed. Between 1970 and 1973, a new Memorial Hospital was constructed and this building stands on the site today.

Today, the Center has more than 9,000 employees including 717 Memorial Hospital attending staff and 123 SKI members. In 2006, more than 21,000 patients were admitted to Memorial Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering accommodated 431,160 outpatient visits at its Manhattan and regional sites combined.