Leonard B. Saltz

Leonard B. Saltz, MD is Chief of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, where he has spent his entire career advancing the treatment of colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers. He is internationally recognized for his pivotal work establishing irinotecan-based regimens and subsequently FOLFOX as standard-of-care backbones for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and for defining the role of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy in mCRC. Dr. Saltz led or co-led landmark phase III trials that transformed first-line mCRC therapy, including the seminal study demonstrating the survival benefit of irinotecan plus fluorouracil/leucovorin (IFL) and the pivotal trial showing that adding bevacizumab to IFL significantly improved overall survival—making bevacizumab the first antiangiogenic agent approved in mCRC. He has also been an outspoken voice on the ethics of oncology drug pricing and the importance of value in cancer care. Beyond clinical trials, Dr. Saltz has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and trained generations of gastrointestinal oncologists at MSKCC. His career reflects a commitment to both rigorous science and patient-centered practice, and he remains a leading voice shaping the global standards for mCRC management.