Full Name
Dr. Pallawi Torka MD
Job Title
Assistant Attending Physician
Company/Affiliation
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Speaker Bio
Dr. Torka is a hematologist-oncologist who cares for patients with various kinds of lymphoma, as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Dr. Torka thinks of herself as a clinician, researcher, and educator in that order, with her personal mantra being “treat every patient like family.”
No two patients are the same, so their treatment plans should not be the same either. When Dr. Torka meets a new patient for the first time, she goes over their whole story in detail and analyzes every detail of their case to ensure that they come up with the best plan of care together. She believes that the best care plans incorporate not only cutting-edge science, but also the patient’s individual beliefs. Hearing “you have cancer” is difficult; her goal is to walk the complicated and often confusing road with her patients and their families, doing everything she can to make the journey easier.
Dr. Torka has trained at some of the best medical institutes in India, and her goal in coming to the United States was to contribute to the remarkable advances happening in oncology. She was fortunate to train at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (RPCCC) in Buffalo, New York, which is among the two oldest cancer institutes in the US, along with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Dr. Torka joined RPCCC as an assistant professor of oncology specializing in the care of patients with lymphoma and CLL. She spent seven years there serving the community and studying various aspects of lymphoma.
While at RPCCC, Dr. Torka was selected among the top doctors in Buffalo for three consecutive years and presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. She served on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) panel for Hodgkin lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, and primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma and also contributed to national guidelines for these diseases.
At MSK, Dr. Torka’s goal is to apply her expertise and experience to continue providing compassionate, state-of-the-art care to patients and families dealing with lymphoma. Her research is geared towards developing novel therapeutic strategies in patients with aggressive lymphomas, especially in adults over 60 years of age. Older adults have not benefited from advances in cancer therapy as much as their younger counterparts. Her research focuses on understanding the reasons behind these disparities and systematically addressing them.
Dr. Torka believes that the introduction of newer treatment modalities (such as targeted therapies given with oral agents and immunotherapy given with bispecific antibodies) early in the course of disease can help older patients get better outcomes without the toxicities of traditional chemotherapy. She also thinks that it is extremely important to consider the biological age rather than just the chronological age while personalizing treatment for older adults. Patients’ actual age is just a number; it is important to comprehensively evaluate each patient’s fitness to assess their “biological age” before deciding on therapy. She intends to study aging biology to identify biomarkers of response and tolerance to treatments that can be implemented in clinical practice in lymphoma. These biomarkers may also be able to predict long-term side effects of cancer treatment.
Dr. Torka is passionate about patient and trainee education and has served as the associate program director of the hematology-oncology fellowship program at Roswell Park/University of Buffalo. She likes to empower her patients and their families with as much information as possible so that together, they can make the best choice for them. Being part of a comprehensive cancer center such as MSK gives her the privilege of applying novel research principles and using promising drugs for her patients long before these therapies are available anywhere else. Every day, she strives to improve the lives of people with lymphoma and hopes to see the end of this disease in her lifetime.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Torka likes to read fiction. She used to be a voracious reader of science and fantasy fiction and an avid painter, but life has become busy with two daughters who keep her on her toes. She loves biking and yoga when she can, but most days are spent enjoying time and traveling with her family. They love exploring new places and cultures.
No two patients are the same, so their treatment plans should not be the same either. When Dr. Torka meets a new patient for the first time, she goes over their whole story in detail and analyzes every detail of their case to ensure that they come up with the best plan of care together. She believes that the best care plans incorporate not only cutting-edge science, but also the patient’s individual beliefs. Hearing “you have cancer” is difficult; her goal is to walk the complicated and often confusing road with her patients and their families, doing everything she can to make the journey easier.
Dr. Torka has trained at some of the best medical institutes in India, and her goal in coming to the United States was to contribute to the remarkable advances happening in oncology. She was fortunate to train at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (RPCCC) in Buffalo, New York, which is among the two oldest cancer institutes in the US, along with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Dr. Torka joined RPCCC as an assistant professor of oncology specializing in the care of patients with lymphoma and CLL. She spent seven years there serving the community and studying various aspects of lymphoma.
While at RPCCC, Dr. Torka was selected among the top doctors in Buffalo for three consecutive years and presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. She served on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) panel for Hodgkin lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, and primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma and also contributed to national guidelines for these diseases.
At MSK, Dr. Torka’s goal is to apply her expertise and experience to continue providing compassionate, state-of-the-art care to patients and families dealing with lymphoma. Her research is geared towards developing novel therapeutic strategies in patients with aggressive lymphomas, especially in adults over 60 years of age. Older adults have not benefited from advances in cancer therapy as much as their younger counterparts. Her research focuses on understanding the reasons behind these disparities and systematically addressing them.
Dr. Torka believes that the introduction of newer treatment modalities (such as targeted therapies given with oral agents and immunotherapy given with bispecific antibodies) early in the course of disease can help older patients get better outcomes without the toxicities of traditional chemotherapy. She also thinks that it is extremely important to consider the biological age rather than just the chronological age while personalizing treatment for older adults. Patients’ actual age is just a number; it is important to comprehensively evaluate each patient’s fitness to assess their “biological age” before deciding on therapy. She intends to study aging biology to identify biomarkers of response and tolerance to treatments that can be implemented in clinical practice in lymphoma. These biomarkers may also be able to predict long-term side effects of cancer treatment.
Dr. Torka is passionate about patient and trainee education and has served as the associate program director of the hematology-oncology fellowship program at Roswell Park/University of Buffalo. She likes to empower her patients and their families with as much information as possible so that together, they can make the best choice for them. Being part of a comprehensive cancer center such as MSK gives her the privilege of applying novel research principles and using promising drugs for her patients long before these therapies are available anywhere else. Every day, she strives to improve the lives of people with lymphoma and hopes to see the end of this disease in her lifetime.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Torka likes to read fiction. She used to be a voracious reader of science and fantasy fiction and an avid painter, but life has become busy with two daughters who keep her on her toes. She loves biking and yoga when she can, but most days are spent enjoying time and traveling with her family. They love exploring new places and cultures.
Speaking At
