James F. Holland

James Frederick Holland (May 16, 1925 – March 22, 2018) was an American physician and Distinguished Professor of Neoplastic Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Early in his career, he had worked for the National Cancer Institute and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

James F. Holland
James F. Holland
Born(1925-05-16)May 16, 1925
Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMarch 22, 2018(2018-03-22) (aged 92)
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.
EducationColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Medical career
ProfessionPhysician
InstitutionsNational Cancer Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Sub-specialtiesOncology
ResearchCombination chemotherapy
AwardsLasker Award, 1972

Holland was considered a key figure in the development of cancer chemotherapy. His 1953 clinical trial on acute leukemia resulted in the formation of Acute Leukemia Group B, a research collaboration that later became known as the Cancer and Leukemia Group B. He served as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research.

Early life

Holland was born on May 16, 1925, in Morristown, New Jersey.[1] His Jewish father, Albert H. Holland Sr. (1891–?),[2] was from New York City and a county judge.[3][4] James Holland was initially drawn to cardiology because his father suffered from heart disease. Holland's mother, Mary Louise Layer Holland,[2][3] was a homemaker and later a nurse.[1]

Holland graduated from Princeton University in 1944.[1] He completed medical school at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1947[1] with a medical degree[5] and then served as a U.S. Army Medical Corps captain from 1949 to 1951.[5] Returning in 1951,[1] Holland had secured a hospital job at Presbyterian Hospital in New York before the end of the war, but his tour of duty was extended and Presbyterian Hospital was unable to hold a position for him. Instead, he ended up at Francis Delafield Hospital, which had just opened as a cancer center. Though Holland was initially hoping that another slot would open up at Presbyterian, he found that he preferred to remain at a specialty cancer institution.[6]

Career

In 1953, while Holland was a researcher at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), he designed a clinical trial for the treatment of acute leukemia. The study examined the combined use of two chemotherapy drugs, methotrexate and mercaptopurine. The trial was still in progress the next year when Holland moved to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). When the NCI's new chief of oncology, Gordon Zubrod, agreed to continue the trial, it became the first multicenter study of acute leukemia. Holland conducted further leukemia research with physicians from the NCI and the Children's Hospital of Buffalo. That research group received government funding for the study of chemotherapy. It became known as Acute Leukemia Group B (and later Cancer and Leukemia Group B).[7]

Holland became a close associate of oncologist Emil "Tom" Frei.[8] From the 1950s to the 1980s, either Holland or Frei chaired the CALGB.[9] Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine became an influential oncology reference book; nine editions have been published.[8] Holland, Frei and Emil Freireich later created another drug regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. The combination of methotrexate, mercaptopurine, vincristine and prednisone – together known as the POMP regimen – produced sustained remission in these patients.[8]

After leaving RPCI, Holland spent several months conducting cancer research in the Soviet Union. He joined the faculty at Mount Sinai in 1973.[10] Oncologist Vincent DeVita has referred to Holland as "one of the founding fathers of cancer chemotherapy." DeVita said that Holland's work proved that combination chemotherapy had the potential to cure cancer. According to DeVita, Holland's influence ensured that childhood leukemia research received ongoing attention.[6] Though acute leukemia had been considered incurable upon the formation of the CALGB, the ten-year cure rate for ALL had reached 50% by 1975.[10]

Holland served as the president of two national cancer research organizations: the American Association for Cancer Research (1970–71) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (1976–78).[11][6] He received the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in 1972.[12]

Personal life

While he worked at RPCI, Holland met his wife, Jimmie C. Holland; she became a psychiatrist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.[13] Holland had a daughter, Diane Louise,[3] with his first wife, Fern Lucille Rahe, whom he married at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in June 1945.[14] Their marriage came to an end in a divorce.[1] He met his second wife, and they had five more children together, Steven M., Sally, Peter, Mary and David.[1][13] One of Holland's siblings, Thomas R. Holland (1926–2013), was the first oncologist in Morristown.[2][15] His elder brother, Albert H. Holland Jr. (d. 1988), was the medical director of the FDA from 1954 to 1959.[1][16] Holland's son Steven is the NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Clinical Research.[17]

Death

He died at the age of 92 on March 22, 2018, at his home in Scarsdale, New York, from complications of cardiovascular disease.[1][5][3]

gollark: You can look at the last ones for information or wait for me to explain now.
gollark: 18:00 UTC.
gollark: This round hasn't started yet, I said "upcoming".
gollark: <@398575402865393665> Please participate in the upcoming code gueßing round.
gollark: Nope.

References
  1. Smith, Harrison (March 25, 2018). "James F. Holland, physician who helped show chemotherapy could treat cancer, dies at 92". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  2. "Thomas R. Holland". Legacy. June 19, 2013.
  3. Roberts, Sam (March 27, 2018). "James F. Holland, trailblazing cancer researcher, dies at 92". The New York Times.
  4. Scherzer, Carl B. (October 6, 2014). "Early Jewish History in Morristown". Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael. One of these, Albert H., became a lawyer and was the first Jew appointed Morris County common pleas judge. “Judge Holland,” as he was known to his associates, was born in New York City and was brought to Morristown as a child. He was educated in the Morristown school system, graduating from Morristown High School in 1909. He continued his studies and graduated from New York Law School where he later returned to obtain his master’s degree. Admitted to the bar in 1913, he was appointed Morris County prosecutor in 1925, and Morris County common pleas judge in 1928. He retired after serving for twenty years as judge.
  5. "In Memoriam: James F. Holland". American Association for Cancer Research. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  6. Piana, Ronald (June 10, 2015). "A tribute to James F. Holland, MD, in celebration of his 90th birthday". The ASCO Post. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  7. Schilsky, Richard L.; McIntyre, O. Ross; Holland, James F.; Frei, Emil (June 1, 2006). "A concise history of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B". Clinical Cancer Research. 12 (11): 3553s–5s. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-06-9000. PMID 16740784. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  8. Rosenthal, Eric (May 9, 2013). "Emil 'Tom' Frei III, pioneer of combination chemotherapy who trained blue-ribbon roster of oncologists, dies at 89". Oncology Times. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  9. "CALGB History". Cancer and Leukemia Group B. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  10. "James F. Holland, MD: Forging a path with the ALGB trailblazers" (PDF). Roswell Park Alumni News (1). Roswell Park Cancer Institute. 2012. pp. 4–7. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  11. "Presidents of the AACR". American Association for Cancer Research. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  12. "1972 Winners". Lasker Foundation. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  13. Fand Incollingo, Beth (June 2013). "On the frontier of cancer care: Holland helped pioneer psychosocial treatment". OncLive. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  14. "Wedding of Fern L. Rahe; New Rochelle Girl Wed Here to James F. Holland of Navy". The New York Times Archives. June 17, 1945.
  15. "Thomas R. Holland '48". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University. October 23, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  16. "Albert Holland Jr., 69, F.D.A Medical Chief". The New York Times. June 15, 1988.
  17. "60th anniversary father-son Grand Rounds draws huge crowd". NIH Clinical Center. August 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
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