WORLDWIDE CONTACT US ABOUT US INVENTING FOR LIFE PRODUCTS RESEARCH LICENSING NEWSROOM CAREERS INVESTORS Home THE IMPACT OF CANCER While cancer cases continue to rise around the world, the fight is personal not only for patients and their loved ones but also for the scientific community. “Cancer is like a personal terrorist…it starts small and attempts a hostile takeover of your entire body. It consumes your person from the inside out, racing through your system and showing no mercy. It uses force and fear and violence to control you. It tries to claim your body, your life, your time and your dignity…” – Jamie Goldfarb, patient advocate who has lived with cancer There is perhaps no better view into what a person fighting cancer faces than the words of someone who has lived with it…someone like Jamie Goldfarb. And there’s also no better inspiration for innovative biomedical research companies like Merck to fight harder than ever on their behalf. “We have all been affected by cancer, whether through family, friends, neighbors, colleagues — or even personally. The chance to have a broad impact on Jamie and the millions of people like her is driving all of us in the scientific community. It’s more than work — it’s a passion, and it’s personal,” said Frank Clyburn, president, Merck Oncology. “Together, we hope to make it possible to help alter the prognoses of those suffering with cancer.” – Frank Clyburn, president, Merck Oncology THE GRAVITY OF THE DISEASE The impact of cancer is astounding. Chances are you know someone — likely more than one person — who has been afflicted with the disease. Consider: 14.1 MILLION Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In 2012, there were 14.1 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. 1.7+ MILLION In 2018, an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 609,640 people will die from the disease. 23.6 MILLION The number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise to 23.6 million globally by 2030. “Something about the disease, which is random, through no fault of anyone, it strikes a person, it doesn't pick gender, ethnicity, it's indiscriminate…” – Eric Rubin, vice president, early-stage development, clinical research, Merck Oncology MERCK'S HUMANS FOR HEALTH Explore the people behind the inventions and patients that inspire them every day. Luis Zúñiga Associate Principal Scientist Immuno-Oncology Dan Cua Senior Principal Scientist, Immuno-Oncology Discovery Paul Reichert Associate Principal Scientist, Structural Chemistry As someone who has lived with cancer and understands the value of family, love and life, Jamie Goldfarb's message to the scientific community is: “It's important for medical researchers to keep going and keep pushing innovation forward.” Updated May 2018 Copyright. © 2009-2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Forward-Looking Statement Privacy Terms of Use Site Map