COR2ED Medical Education

COR2ED Medical Education: In this HCC CONNECT podcast HCC Experts Prof. Matthias Pinter and Prof. Jeroen Dekervel, discuss and debate the clinical implications of new HCC Phase 3 clinical trials data presented and discussed at the ILCA and ESMO congresses. They discuss Immuno-oncology agents and their place in the upcoming updated guidance such as the proposed new ILCA Systemic Therapies Guidance algorithm. They also discuss new treatment options in first line for advanced HCC presented at ESMO including the three late breaking abstracts LEAP-002, RATIONALE-301 and tislelizumab monotherapy trials. The latter two studying first-line treatment with an anti-PD1 antibody with or without a kinase inhibitor in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The experts evaluate and provide their insights into how to integrate these new treatments for HCC in the clinical practice.

 COR2ED Medical Education: This second GI CONNECT podcast episode, covers the highlights on gastroesophageal cancer from ESMO 2022.  Dr Sam Klempner (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA) and Dr Yelena Janjigian (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA) discuss a number of key posters and oral presentations from the meeting and their implications for clinical practice.

The experts start by covering a number of first line studies. First of all, they discuss a study from Dr. Janjigian’s research group which investigated regorafenib with nivolumab and FOLFOX in HER2 negative oesophagastric cancer.  They then discuss LEAP-015 which investigated first-line lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in advanced/metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA).  Dr. Klempner then covers one of his posters from ESMO 2022 on the DisTinGuish trial which looked at DKN-01 and tislelizumab plus chemotherapy as first-line investigational therapy in GEA.  Later they discuss MOONLIGHT which investigated FOLFOX plus nivolumab and ipilimumab versus FOLFOX induction followed by nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.  Later in the podcast, they cover a number of second line studies, including the PRODIGE 59 - DURIGAST trial which evaluated FOLFIRI plus durvalumab and FOLFIRI plus durvalumab plus tremelimumab in second line treatment of patients with advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma.  Finally they discuss DESTINY-Gastric02 which followed on from DESTINY-Gastric01 in Asian patients and was undertaken to evaluate T-DXd in Western patients with HER2+ unresectable/metastatic gastric/GEJ cancer who progressed on or after trastuzumab-containing regimen.

COR2ED Medical Education: In the first episode of this GI CONNECT podcast covering the lower gastrointestinal (GI) cancer highlights from ESMO 2022, Dr Jenny Seligmann, Medical Oncologist from the University of Leeds in the UK and Dr Dominik Modest, Medical Oncologist from the Charité Universitaetsmedizin, Berlin, Germany discuss a number of key oral presentations from ESMO 2022 and potential implications for clinical practice. 

They start their discussion with the  NICHE-2 which looked at neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibition in locally advanced MMR-deficient colon cancer. Discussion then moves to the HIPECT4 trial which explored adjuvant hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in locally advanced colon cancer and challenges previous perceptions of HIPEC in colorectal cancer patients. The FRESCO-2 trial is reviewed which evaluated the efficacy and safety of fruquintinib in patients with refractory metastatic CRC with results potentially supporting a new option for these patients. The experts then review two trials in patients with KRASG12C mutant CRC, the KRYSTAL-1 which used adagrasib with or without cetuximab in these patients and the CodeBreaK101 study which used sotorasib in combination with panitumumab.  They discuss their opinions on the results from these studies and the implications for clinical practice.

In this third episode of a three-episode podcast series, COR2ED and ASBMR have partnered with patient advocates Inês Alves (European Rare Bone Forum) and Tracy Hart (Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation) to provide rare bone disease highlights from the ASBMR 2022 Annual Meeting, focusing on the patient perspective.

The experts opened the podcast with the importance of engaging diverse patient communities. Independent of geography, patients should be educated about their condition and prepared for clinical trial participation; advocacy groups play a central role in this engagement. The experts then discussed outcomes of the IMPACT survey in OI (osteogenesis imperfecta), whose extensive database (66 countries, >2000 participants) offers meaningful insights into the clinical, humanistic and economic challenges faced by OI patients around the world. Looking to advances in pre-clinical research, the experts reviewed data on nanoparticle-mediated delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to targeted mutation sites, tested in an animal model of autosomal dominant osteopetrosis. As the experts note, patient communities struggle with lengthy research and development timelines for novel therapies; therefore, it’s important for advocates to keep communities informed about ongoing efforts.

In this second episode of a three-episode podcast series, COR2ED and ASBMR have partnered with Professor Eric Rush (Children’s Mercy Hospital) to provide rare bone disease highlights from ASBMR 2022 Annual Meeting.

Prof. Rush opens with detailed information on fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP): symptoms of this severe congenital condition include permanent heterotopic ossifications preceded by painful soft tissue swelling. Nearly all patients have the same ACVR1 receptor variant, and Prof. Rush shares therapy options for the disease. He then offers insights on hypochondroplasia (HCH), a developmental disorder caused by a defect in the FGFR3 gene. An animal model for HCH has been developed, in which infigratinib, a selective FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, shows positive effects on growth as well as proportion. He then describes a clinical study in osteogenesis imperfects (OI), in which allogenic transplantation of fetal liver-derived mesenchymal stem cells was tested in children with type III and type IV OI. While increased bone density and height were observed, Prof. Rush cautions that both the number of study participants and the study duration were low. He closes the podcast with personal insights from the in-person Annual Meeting, including opportunities for engagement and exchange at “Meet the Professor” sessions.

In this first episode of a three-episode podcast series, COR2ED and ASBMR have partnered with Professor Anna Teti (University of L’Aquila) to provide rare bone disease highlights from the Rare Diseases Symposium that preceded the ASBMR 2022 Annual Meeting.

Opening with an overview of ongoing clinical research in several rare bone diseases, Prof. Teti highlights the importance of preparing clinicians for unexpected adverse events. Notably, therapies used in the context of rare bone diseases can cause adverse events not seen if a common bone disease was treated. For osteogenesis imperfecta, she discusses a novel treatment based on umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. A safety study in 18 paediatric patients – three of whom received a pre-natal injection – is awaiting completion by the end of 2023. Initial safety data suggests that multiple stem cell transplantations in children with this disease is safe. Prof. Teti emphasizes the impact of achondroplasia, the most common rare bone disease, and one for which new treatments are also in development. Pharmacological treatment aims to reduce activity of the pathogenic, overactive variant of FGFR3 which causes the disease. She is confident that a treatment will be found that, at minimum, enhances quality of life in patients. Prof. Teti concludes with a review of the highly collaborative spirit of the Rare Diseases Symposium, emphasizing that patient well-being must be the driving force of research.

COR2ED Medical Education: In this podcast, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Prof. Rezan Abdul-Kadir and Advanced Nurse Practicioner Debra Pollard discuss the impact of bleeding disorders before, during and after pregnancy and delivery. Their share their views on what healthcare providers should take into consideration when a woman with a bleeding disorder wants to have children and becomes pregnant, including potential risks and expectations of the pregnancy. Support for women and babies is discussed, including the importance of multidisciplinary care. The experts also explore their experience during and after delivery, and what to be aware of in the post-partum period.

Prof Rezan Abdul-Kadir is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London and Debra Pollard is an Advanced Nurse Practicioner at the Katharine Dormandy Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, Royal Free Hospital in London, UK.

COR2ED Medical Education: In this podcast, Sven De Keersmaecker, RN and Assoc. Prof. Gerald Prager, MD discuss flexible dosing regimens of the oral treatments regorafenib, trifluridine / tipiracil (TAS-102) and capecitabine to optimise treatment duration and to manage adverse events in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.  The two experts also discuss the importance of keeping patients on treatment to optimise outcomes whilst managing side effects and ensuring the best possible quality of life. Treatment strategies are discussed as well as key data from the ReDOS and REARRANGE trials. The experts also discuss the importance of the nurse and other multi-disciplinary team members in terms of adverse event management and treatment adherence.

Sven De Keersmaecker RN is Study Co-ordinator at Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium and Dr Gerald Prager is a Medical Oncologist and Associate Professor at Medical University of Vienna in Austria

COR2ED Medical Education: In this SARCOMA CONNECT Guidelines Podcast, two SARCOMA CONNECT Experts, Prof. Robert Maki and Prof. Silvia Stacchiotti, discuss recent updates in the ESMO and NCCN bone sarcoma guidelines. Focussing on osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, but also including chordoma and Giant Cell Tumour of bone, the Experts compare and contrast the latest updates to the guidelines. They highlight the key clinical practice learning points from the guidelines, discuss the latest clinical trial data, and consider what they mean for patients.

COR2ED Medical Education: In this podcast, liver cancer experts Prof. Amit Singal and Assoc. Prof Neil Mehta discuss recent advances in systemic and locoregional therapy for advanced and early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).  They focus on the role of immunotherapy and review data from three major congresses in 2022 (ASCO, WCGIC and ILC) together with recent publications. 

Prof. Amit Singal is Director of Liver Cancer Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA and Assoc. Prof. Neil Mehta is Director of Liver Cancer Program at University of California San Francisco, USA.