Cancer is one of the greatest plagues of the modern era. Every year, hundreds of people die from each type of cancer and countless more individuals are forced to suffer through difficult and grueling treatments to remove the stain of the disease from their bodies. Sam W Lee has dedicated his career to finding new ways to combat the disease that allow the patient to recover more quickly and to suffer less in the process. Sam W Lee's efforts have been noticed and he has recently been given the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Breast Cancer Research Award. This award is given by the Commonwealth to an individual or team that has a major breakthrough in the area of breast cancer research. It is meant to recognize the value of their research and to provide proof of their success to the world.

Sam W Lee's receipt of this award came on the heels of a series of discoveries that came to light during his time as a researcher. Sam W Lee's research was focused specifically on cancer biology and his discovery of the way in which tumors interact with pro-survival pathway activation shaped the future of breast cancer treatments. Sam W Lee's work has allowed doctors and radiologists to narrow down the scope of their treatments, working to target a specific part of the cancer genome rather than blasting the entire area with radiation and chemicals. Sam W Lee's discoveries, and the new medical techniques that have come from them, have allowed patients to recover more quickly from chemotherapy and suffer less during the treatment process.

“I am glad that I was able to find something useful,” Sam W Lee said when asked about the award, “The appreciation and recognition is nice, but my focus has always been on helping people get better faster.”

The commonwealth of Massachusetts is deeply grateful to have an individual like Sam W Lee working in their research center and hopes that Sam W Lee will continue to produce excellent results for many years to come. Sam W Lee's leadership in the area of cancer research has proven to be invaluable to those who are fighting the disease, both as doctors and as patients.