In 1972, The Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC), now known as Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), obtained NCI-designation and its first Cancer Center Support Grant.

The MECCC is the fourth oldest NCI-designated cancer center. The goals of MECCC are to foster basic, clinical, population and translational research in order to contribute to the understanding of the origins of cancer and its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

MECCC works to reduce the burden of cancer in its Bronx catchment area and beyond through novel transdisciplinary research in four distinct research program areas linked by four cross-cutting themes: cancer disparities and inequities in the Bronx; tumor and organ microenvironments; molecular variations as determinants of outcome; and prevention, early detection, and interception of primary and recurrent disease.