Oncologists love pushing the limits of what is possible for our patients. To celebrate this and the 20th episode of Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind, Michael and Josh explore the heights of pioneering treatment for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). A notoriously resistant cancer with no known targetable lesions that affect younger women on average, The BrighTNess trial, Keynote 522 and Create-X show just how far the treatment landscape has changed in the last five years.

Tune into our final episode for the year! We will return in early 2023 with more content, interviews and hilarious banter.

On a final note, Dr Michael Fernando has been admitted to the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP), the equivalent of being board certified! Michael has completed this arduous training and is now a fully-fledged Medical Oncologist! Do not distress listeners. Despite no longer being a trainee, Michael will continue on as presenter and host extraordinaire for this podcast.

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

BrighTNess trial: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(18)30111-6/fulltext

Keynote 522: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1910549

Create-X: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1612645

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I'm not in danger; I AM the danger!" So said Bryan Cranston's Walter White, and so too said early-stage lung cancer when confronted with adjuvant chemotherapy (maybe). In this episode, however, Josh and Michael follow in the footsteps of Hank Schrader, Steve Gomez et al., discussing ways to tackle one of the biggest killers in oncology. While we may not have found a way to control early-stage lung cancer, new developments are on the horizon, such as neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy and adjuvant osimertinib. So listen on, with the disclaimer that any similarities between Walter White and Jane Eyre are purely coincidental, no matter what Josh may argue...

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

CHECKMATE-816: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2202170

ADAURA: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2027071

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Josh and Mikey travel back millions of years to a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, as recent research has demonstrated, unmolested by cancer. Then they come crashing back to the present to discuss this week's topic, metastatic colorectal cancer. Will they discover secrets hidden across the aeons? Was the secret to cancer treatment hidden in the bones of our scaled precursors? No, of course not. But there will be a lot of information on the improving treatment of colorectal cancer, which has not taken millions of years to advance. Oh, and Michael does a passable Richard Attenborough.

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

FIRE-3: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(14)70330-4/fulltext

KEYNOTE 177: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2017699

BEACON: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1908075

Epidemiological Study of Tumours in Dinosaurs: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-003-0473-9

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Movember is an important event focussing on men's health, including cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer diagnosed in Australia and the second most common in American men. To highlight this and explore the pioneering treatments available, Michael and Josh interviewed the esteemed Dr Megan Crumbaker. Megan is a medical oncologist specialising in genitourinary cancer and works at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre and St. Vincents Health in Sydney, Australia. Dr Crumbaker completed her undergraduate at Rice University, Texas, before completing her medical training in Sydney and a PhD in prostate genomics through The Garvan Research Institute.

We discussed all things prostate oncology with Megan, including research, career, pioneering treatment options and all things prostate cancer. These treatment pearls are not to be missed by any budding oncologist!

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After looking at early upper gastrointestinal cancers last week, Michael and Josh take the logical next step and discuss the management of their metastatic cousins, the most unsavoury collection since Cassius and Brutus teamed up to assassinate their erstwhile friend Julius. And while our weapons against these cancers are limited, that will not stop our intrepid podcasting pair from taking a deep, rambling and irreverent dive into the dirty details. Friends! Oncologists! Countrymen! Lend us your ears!

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

TOGA: https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(10)61121-X/fulltext

CHECKMATE 649: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00797-2/fulltext

CHECKMATE 648: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2111380

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we CROSS into another episode, Michael and Josh explore the world of early gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. Interestingly both these cancers have a higher incidence in Asia and North Africa. Your podcast hosts soon find early detection of these cancers can be difficult, often leading to treatment challenges not seen by other cancer streams, such as bowel or breast cancer. Unlike previous episodes, FLOT4 looks at perioperative chemotherapy and its benefits over the previous incumbent chemotherapy. Before we give anything more away, make sure to listen to this episode to understand the gold standard of care for these cancers. Likes to the trials below!

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

CROSS: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)00040-6/fulltex

FLOT4: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32557-1/fulltext

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the highs of their special interview with Dr Belinda Yeo on all things breast cancer, Josh and Michael crash back to their usual programming with a banter and dad-joke-filled journey through the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. A notoriously insidious disease, ovarian cancer is responsible for not just significant mortality but soul-crushing morbidity as well. However, for some very special people, ovarian cancer does not stop them from reaching their goals, up to and including completing a triathlon! Listen on for the full, inspiring story!

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

PAOLA-1: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1911361

AURELIA: https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/jco.2013.51.4489

Leslie Medley-Russell, Ovarian Cancer Survivor: https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/two-time-ovarian-cancer-survivor--never-give-up.h00-159148401.html

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate the end of breast cancer awareness month, Michael and Josh are joined by Dr Belinda Yeo, an experienced oncologist specialising in treating breast cancer. Belinda trained at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia, followed by the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. She now works at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute as a Clinician Scientist with a specific interest in breast cancer and the prestigious Austin Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

We discussed all things breast oncology with Belinda, including career path, research, patient-centred care and, of course, all the breast cancer treatment pearls for any budding oncologist!

This is one episode not to miss!

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Josh and Michael take a step down from the dizzying heights of HER-2 positive breast cancer treatment and crash back to earth to metastatic pancreatic cancer, a topic that remains an unconquered Everest, mocking oncologists like that one kid who always stole Josh's lunch money in school... Don't worry; there will be no airing of childhood trauma here. Just two oncologists discussing treatments and casting a hopeful eye towards the future.

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

ACCORD-11: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1011923

MPACT: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1304369

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of their HER2 breast cancer dive, Josh and Michael explore the optimistic world of metastatic breast cancer. Once a desolate space with limited options, HER2 metastatic breast cancer represents the frontier of targeted therapy, like the industrial age or landing on the moon. While neither Josh nor Mikey have been to the moon, these researchers have landed among the stars bringing hope and effective treatments to an aggressive tumour time that a decade ago would have had a very different story. 

Links to studies discussed in this episode (subscription may be required):

CLEOPATRA: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1413513

Destiny-Beast03: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2115022

For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.com

Find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!

If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at [email protected]

Art courtesy of Taryn Silver

Music courtesy of AlexiAction: https://pixabay.com/users/alexiaction-26977400/

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.