Project Oncology®

For decades, hydroxyurea has been the cornerstone therapy for sickle cell disease, but new disease-modifying therapies, curative strategies, and gene therapies are expanding options for patients. While these advancing approaches come with some risks, they can help offer symptom relief, reduce complications, and give patients more choices when it comes to managing their sickle cell disease. Hear Dr. Yogindra Persuad, a physician in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, walk through the history of sickle cell disease treatment and discuss the benefits and risks of these developing therapies.

Effective transition from pediatric to adult care should begin as early as age twelve for patients with sickle cell disease, incorporating factors like education, self-advocacy skills, and support from transition care coordinators. Tune in to hear Dr. Nidhi Bhatt, who works in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, discuss how involving patients and families early on helps identify barriers and improve long-term outcomes.

Hydroxyurea and chronic transfusions remain cornerstone therapies in managing sickle cell disease, with proven benefits in reducing stroke risk and improving anemia. However, considerations remain, including their impact on cardiac health. Learn about these long-standing therapies and best practices for using them to manage sickle cell disease with Dr. Parul Rai. Dr. Rai is a physician in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Despite FDA approvals and growing clinical integration, CAR T-cell therapies remain clouded by misconceptions, some of which could impact clinical decision-making and delay appropriate referrals. To help set the record straight on CAR T-cell therapy, Dr. Charles Turck speaks with Dr. Matthew Lunning about the realities of patient selection, safety, and access. Dr. Lunning is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

As cancer treatment continues to evolve, at-home subcutaneous immunotherapy is at the forefront of decentralized care and research. Here to share his insights on how this delivery model could impact clinical trials and cancer care is Dr. Jorge Nieva, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

As immunotherapy becomes a cornerstone for treating a growing number of solid tumors, reducing the logistical burden of in-office care is essential. Fortunately, the at-home administration of subcutaneous formulations of immunotherapy agents like atezolizumab could help transform the way we care for patients with cancer. Learn more with Dr. Jorge Nieva, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

Despite the promising benefits for cancer patients, the at-home administration of subcutaneous immunotherapy poses complex operational and logistical challenges, like cost, payer preferences, and patient safety. Tune in to hear Dr. Jorge Nieva discuss these key factors and considerations impacting the implementation of at-home subcutaneous cancer immunotherapy delivery. Dr. Nieva is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

Can the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab be safely administered subcutaneously at home for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)? That’s the exact question an ongoing study is seeking to answer, and here to discuss the study’s objective, design, and potential implications for home-based subcutaneous cancer therapies is Dr. Jorge Nivea. He’s an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

There was a recent pooled analysis of the TROPION-Lung01 and TROPION-Lung05 studies, which focused on the efficacy and safety of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in patients with previously treated EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). According to the results, Dato-DXd demonstrated an overall response rate of 43 percent, with durable responses and a manageable safety profile. Joining Dr. Jacob Sands to talk more about these findings and their implications are Drs. Elaine Shum and Estelamari Rodriguez. Dr. Shum is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Dr. Rodriguez is an Associate Director of Community Outreach, Thoracic Oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Health System.

This series of video briefs features Dr. Neal Shore reporting from AUA 2025 in Las Vegas. Tune in for timely updates on innovatively delivered intravesical therapies for non–muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Dr. Shore presents key findings from the SunRISe-1 trial, highlighting 1-year durability and patient-reported outcomes data in BCG-unresponsive high-risk NMIBC. He also covers the first results from cohort 4 of SunRISe-1, with a focus on papillary disease-only patients, along with the study design of the phase 3 MoonRISe-3 trial in patients with BCG-treated high-risk NMIBC and FGFR alterations. Each brief distills the clinical relevance of these studies and their potential impact on future NMIBC treatment strategies.