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The differences between cancer researchers and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cancer researcher and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $73,896 average annual salary of a cancer researcher.
The top three skills for a cancer researcher include patients, clinical research and clinical trials. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.
| Cancer Researcher | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Yearly salary | $73,896 | $145,718 |
| Hourly rate | $35.53 | $70.06 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 24,199 | 57,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A cancer researcher is a medical scientist who devotes their time working at laboratories to study and discover ways to diagnose and treat cancer, saving countless people's lives in the process. Their duties usually include gathering and analyzing samples through basic or complex laboratory processes, studying existing cases from people of all ages, organizing specimens and instruments, coordinating with fellow experts, conducting experiments, and maintaining extensive records. Moreover, as a cancer researcher, it is essential to keep an open communication line with fellow researchers, collaborating efforts for a smooth workflow.
A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.
Cancer researchers and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cancer Researcher | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average salary | $73,896 | $145,718 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $117,000 | Between $59,000 And $359,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jackson, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Tennessee |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | Saint Luke's Health System |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a cancer researcher and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:
| Cancer Researcher | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between cancer researchers' and medical science liaisons' demographics:
| Cancer Researcher | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |