Acta Oncologica
ISSN: 0284-186X (Print) 1651-226X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ionc20
In memoriam – Joachim Mark, MD, PhD (1935–2014) Göran Stenman To cite this article: Göran Stenman (2015) In memoriam – Joachim Mark, MD, PhD (1935–2014), Acta Oncologica, 54:8, 1242-1243, DOI: 10.3109/0284186X.2015.1016628 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0284186X.2015.1016628
Published online: 12 Mar 2015.
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Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ionc20 Download by: [University of Pennsylvania]
Date: 25 October 2015, At: 19:30
Acta Oncologica, 2015; 54: 1242–1243
OBITUARY
In memoriam – Joachim Mark, MD, PhD (1935–2014)
GÖRAN STENMAN
Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 19:30 25 October 2015
Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
To the Editor, Joachim Mark was born on March 31, 1935 and passed away on November 7, 2014, after a period of illness. He received his MD at Lund University, Sweden, in 1963 and earned his PhD 1967 on a thesis entitled “Chromosomal patterns in Rous sarcomas in mice”. He completed his pathology residency at the University Hospital in Lund under the direction of Prof. C. G. Ahlström. In the early 1970s he joined the Department of Pathology, Huddinge Hospital in Stockholm as a senior consultant and in 1973 he and his family moved to Skövde and the newly built Central Hospital where he served as a senior consultant at the Department of Pathology until his retirement in 1997. He was also the chairman of the department for many years. Soon after his arrival in Skövde, he established a clinical genetics laboratory and a world-famous, non-university based cancer cytogenetics research laboratory with generous support from the Swedish Cancer Society. He actively ran both these laboratories until 2012. He had an enormous work capacity and for long periods of time he was the only surgical pathologist in the department. Joachim´s major research interest was cancer cytogenetics and tumor pathology. He published more than 250 original research articles, reviews, and book chapters. In his first cytogenetic studies from the 1960s and early 1970s of tumors in rodents induced by Rous sarcoma virus and various chemical carcinogenes he and his co-workers for the first time demonstrated non-random chromosomal patterns in tumors. In a seminal paper in Science 1972, they advanced the hypothesis that the etiologic factor is of decisive importance in determining the chromosomal aberrations occurring early during tumorigenesis. Soon thereafter, he initiated pioneering and extensive studies on human cancers and described, together
with his co-workers, non-random and tumor-type specific chromosome aberrations in a variety of solid tumors, including for example, meningiomas, certain subtypes of sarcomas, thyroid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, uveal melanomas, gliomas, uterine leiomyomas, and pleomorphic adenomas. His systematic and meticulous cytogenetic studies are ground-breaking and have paved the way for subsequent molecular studies resulting in the identification of gene amplifications and fusion oncogenes located at the breakpoints of recurrent chromosome rearrangements. These genes are new biomarkers that are now being exploited as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets. There are already new targeted cancer therapies in the clinic that are based on these discoveries. Joachim Mark has served as a member of numerous editorial boards of journals in the field of
Correspondence: G. Stenman, Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Box 425, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. E-mail: [email protected] (Received 2 February 2015 ; accepted 3 February 2015) ISSN 0284-186X print/ISSN 1651-226X online © 2015 Informa Healthcare DOI: 10.3109/0284186X.2015.1016628
Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 19:30 25 October 2015
Obituary 1243 pathology, cancer research, and genetics. He has also received several awards for his pioneering contributions to cancer cytogenetics as well as an honorary doctorate in medicine at the University of Gothenburg in 2000. He was a much appreciated collaborator and had numerous both national and international collaborations with leading cancer researchers. His career encompasses being an excellent surgical and autopsy pathologist, a leading cancer cytogeneticist, and a much appreciated mentor of fellows and residents. He was also supervisor for a number of PhD students. As such he was very demanding but also helpful and encouraging. He generously shared his broad and deep knowledge in pathology, tumor biology, and genetics with his students and fellows. Although he was a hard working, disciplined, and busy man he had always time for questions and to discuss pressing scientific issues. Joachim had a strong will and a multifaceted personality. At the same time he was a down-to-earth,
unassuming, and compassionate human being. As a scientist, he was curious, enthusiastic, bold, innovative, and open minded, and it was always a pleasure to discuss science and other issues with him. On the day that he passed away I was giving a Memorial Lecture at the Department of Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. At the last minute, and without knowing anything about his death, I decided to take the opportunity to pay tribute to our long-standing collaboration and to his decisive contribution to our understanding of the cytogenetic basis of cancer. I am very glad that I did this on that particular day! Joachim leaves two children, Cecilia and Magnus, and two grandchildren, Emma and Julia. We are many that will always be deeply grateful for having the privilege to get to know him and work with him. The result of his work and his efforts will continue to be important in the years to come and we will always remember him as a brilliant scientist and dear friend.
ISSN: 0284-186X (Print) 1651-226X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ionc20
In memoriam – Joachim Mark, MD, PhD (1935–2014) Göran Stenman To cite this article: Göran Stenman (2015) In memoriam – Joachim Mark, MD, PhD (1935–2014), Acta Oncologica, 54:8, 1242-1243, DOI: 10.3109/0284186X.2015.1016628 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0284186X.2015.1016628
Published online: 12 Mar 2015.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 18
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ionc20 Download by: [University of Pennsylvania]
Date: 25 October 2015, At: 19:30
Acta Oncologica, 2015; 54: 1242–1243
OBITUARY
In memoriam – Joachim Mark, MD, PhD (1935–2014)
GÖRAN STENMAN
Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 19:30 25 October 2015
Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
To the Editor, Joachim Mark was born on March 31, 1935 and passed away on November 7, 2014, after a period of illness. He received his MD at Lund University, Sweden, in 1963 and earned his PhD 1967 on a thesis entitled “Chromosomal patterns in Rous sarcomas in mice”. He completed his pathology residency at the University Hospital in Lund under the direction of Prof. C. G. Ahlström. In the early 1970s he joined the Department of Pathology, Huddinge Hospital in Stockholm as a senior consultant and in 1973 he and his family moved to Skövde and the newly built Central Hospital where he served as a senior consultant at the Department of Pathology until his retirement in 1997. He was also the chairman of the department for many years. Soon after his arrival in Skövde, he established a clinical genetics laboratory and a world-famous, non-university based cancer cytogenetics research laboratory with generous support from the Swedish Cancer Society. He actively ran both these laboratories until 2012. He had an enormous work capacity and for long periods of time he was the only surgical pathologist in the department. Joachim´s major research interest was cancer cytogenetics and tumor pathology. He published more than 250 original research articles, reviews, and book chapters. In his first cytogenetic studies from the 1960s and early 1970s of tumors in rodents induced by Rous sarcoma virus and various chemical carcinogenes he and his co-workers for the first time demonstrated non-random chromosomal patterns in tumors. In a seminal paper in Science 1972, they advanced the hypothesis that the etiologic factor is of decisive importance in determining the chromosomal aberrations occurring early during tumorigenesis. Soon thereafter, he initiated pioneering and extensive studies on human cancers and described, together
with his co-workers, non-random and tumor-type specific chromosome aberrations in a variety of solid tumors, including for example, meningiomas, certain subtypes of sarcomas, thyroid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, uveal melanomas, gliomas, uterine leiomyomas, and pleomorphic adenomas. His systematic and meticulous cytogenetic studies are ground-breaking and have paved the way for subsequent molecular studies resulting in the identification of gene amplifications and fusion oncogenes located at the breakpoints of recurrent chromosome rearrangements. These genes are new biomarkers that are now being exploited as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets. There are already new targeted cancer therapies in the clinic that are based on these discoveries. Joachim Mark has served as a member of numerous editorial boards of journals in the field of
Correspondence: G. Stenman, Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Box 425, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. E-mail: [email protected] (Received 2 February 2015 ; accepted 3 February 2015) ISSN 0284-186X print/ISSN 1651-226X online © 2015 Informa Healthcare DOI: 10.3109/0284186X.2015.1016628
Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 19:30 25 October 2015
Obituary 1243 pathology, cancer research, and genetics. He has also received several awards for his pioneering contributions to cancer cytogenetics as well as an honorary doctorate in medicine at the University of Gothenburg in 2000. He was a much appreciated collaborator and had numerous both national and international collaborations with leading cancer researchers. His career encompasses being an excellent surgical and autopsy pathologist, a leading cancer cytogeneticist, and a much appreciated mentor of fellows and residents. He was also supervisor for a number of PhD students. As such he was very demanding but also helpful and encouraging. He generously shared his broad and deep knowledge in pathology, tumor biology, and genetics with his students and fellows. Although he was a hard working, disciplined, and busy man he had always time for questions and to discuss pressing scientific issues. Joachim had a strong will and a multifaceted personality. At the same time he was a down-to-earth,
unassuming, and compassionate human being. As a scientist, he was curious, enthusiastic, bold, innovative, and open minded, and it was always a pleasure to discuss science and other issues with him. On the day that he passed away I was giving a Memorial Lecture at the Department of Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. At the last minute, and without knowing anything about his death, I decided to take the opportunity to pay tribute to our long-standing collaboration and to his decisive contribution to our understanding of the cytogenetic basis of cancer. I am very glad that I did this on that particular day! Joachim leaves two children, Cecilia and Magnus, and two grandchildren, Emma and Julia. We are many that will always be deeply grateful for having the privilege to get to know him and work with him. The result of his work and his efforts will continue to be important in the years to come and we will always remember him as a brilliant scientist and dear friend.
