Project Oncology®

Host: Robert Mocharnuk, MD

Guest: Jae Park, MD

The treatment of relapsed or refractory leukemias and lymphomas continues to be challenging, often characterized by limited therapeutic options and poor outcomes. Effective new therapies are needed for these patients.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy represents a radical departure from current treatments by simultaneously being cell therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. It promises to revolutionize the treatment of multiple hematologic malignancies, including relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and others.

This activity will review CAR T-cell therapy’s biologic rationale and mechanism of action, the latest efficacy and safety data in different patient populations, and how to effectively manage potentially severe toxicities to maximize patient outcomes.

This activity is a web-based, on-demand activity, featuring an expert panel discussion. This activity is designed as a forum for the debate and evaluation of the most recent clinical data, and to provide evidence-based updates and expert insights on the discussion points to translate current and emerging evidence into real-world clinical practice.

Host: Stephen Edge, MD, FACS, FASCO

In this segment, Dr. Edge discusses the benefits of using clinical oncology pathways in practice as well as their optimal use for patients. Also discussed will be how to best select the primary choice for treatment when using clinical oncology pathways.

This activity is part of a series of in-depth discussions with oncology thought leaders at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York targeting primary care and family physicians.

This series was made possible through the generous support of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG

Guest: Burton S. Brodsky, MD, FACOG

Low awareness of women’s risk factors and symptoms for ovarian cancer, compounded by common use of diagnostic laboratory tests that are less sensitive and not specifically approved for assessing the risk of malignant adnexal mass, are the most important reasons that the great majority of women with ovarian cancer are only diagnosed in late stage disease, when prognosis is far worse.

In this CME activity, join Dr. Burton Brodsky as he reviews best practices in malignancy risk assessment of adnexal mass to improve the detection of ovarian cancer in pre and postmenopausal women in earlier stages, ultimately enhancing their chances at surviving this devastating condition. Additionally, we will share practical strategies to best inform and empower patients, as well as practice management implications to facilitate patients and clinicians’ access to guideline recommended tools for ovarian cancer risk stratification.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in both females and males, with about 9 in 10 people contracting HPV at some point in their lives.

Host Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Samantha Gottlieb, medical anthropologist and author of Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine: Selling HPV and Cervical Cancer. They explore the history of Gardasil, a vaccine developed for HPV but marketed primarily as a cervical cancer vaccine, which became embroiled in sociopolitical debates about adolescent sexuality and pediatric vaccinations.

The two discuss these precedents alongside current controversies, such as whether vaccinating both males and females will induce herd immunity, and if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Guest: Darcy A. Krueger, MD, PhD

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by the systemic growth of benign, noninvasive legions. SEGAs, which are slow-growing glioneural tumors that develop near the foramen of Monro, usually develop before the age of 20 years and represent a significant morbidity and mortality burden in children and adolescents with TSC. The current standard of treatment for symptomatic SEGA is surgical resection of lesions. Asymptomatic SEGAs with growth can be treated with either surgery or therapy with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus. Because mTOR inhibition is the first pharmacotherapeutic alternative to surgery, it is important that clinicians be educated about its benefits and applications, thereby potentially improving patient quality of life and survival. Additionally, Wang and colleagues noted, “Prompt identification and treatment of seizures is an important focus in the overall management of tuberous sclerosis complex patients.” Everolimus and cannabidiol are being studied for the management of TSC-associated seizures. Given the rarity of the disease, clinicians may not be fully aware of SEGA associated with TSC, its clinical manifestations and molecular basis, or the current guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Similarly, clinicians may not be up to date about the emerging treatment strategies for SEGA or appreciate their ...

Host: John J. Russell, MD

Guest: David A. Reardon, MD

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most malignant of all glial tumors. These tumors present a challenge to the team managing the patient, as there is no curative treatment; the goal is to find the best approach and optimal role for each team member. There are a variety of treatment options, which include surgery (resection), radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The prognosis for these patients is measured in years with respect to median survival; with one study reporting nearly 10% of patients live five years or longer. The current clinical research environment includes a variety of new approaches to treating patients with GBM, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are one type of treatment currently being investigated. In today's activity we will discuss the role of ADCs in managing patients with GBM.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: Ronald DeMatteo, MD, FACS

A Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is a rare sarcoma that begins in the digestive tract or stomach, with an incident rate in the United States of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 cases per year. Since these tumors behave differently from other gastrointestinal cancers, they require a specialized treatment plan.

Host Dr. Shira Johnson chats with Ronald DeMatteo, MD, FACS, Chair of the Department of Surgery and a surgical oncologist at Penn Medicine. They discuss the diagnosis, treatment and current clinical research of GIST. Dr. DeMatteo is a world-renowned surgical expert and researcher for the rare GIST. His research breakthroughs helped develop the new standard of care for GIST.

Comparing SurePath, ThinPrep, and conventional cytology as primary test method: SurePath is associated with increased CIN II+ detection rates. Rozemeijer K, Penning C, Siebers AG, Naber SK, Matthijsse SM, van Ballegooijen M, van Kemenade FJ, de Kok IM. Cancer Causes Control. 2016 Jan;27(1):15-25.doi: 10.1007/s10552-015-0678-1. Epub 2015 Oct 12. Background Information: In the previous audio abstract summarizing the results from these researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, the BMJ 2017 article described the use of LBC in the Dutch screening program and the impact on interval cervical cancers). In this second installation, we will be reviewing a previous publication from the same group, where the effectiveness of LBC will be described in terms of detecting cytological abnormalities and corresponding detection of cervical intraepithelial lesions within cervical biopsy specimens. Objective: To compare the relative effectiveness of liquid-based cytology, in terms of atypical cytology classification and corresponding biopsy-confirmed cervical lesions, in relation to manually read conventional Pap smears, within the Dutch cervical cancer screening program Design: Retrospective, population based cohort study Setting Population: Nationwide network and registry of histology and cytology in the Netherlands PALGA database between January 2000 and March 2011. Population included 3,118,685 conventional smear results; 1,313,731 SurePath ...

Guest: A. Oliver Sartor, MD

Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, accounting for 8% of all cancer deaths with an estimated 26,730 deaths in 2017. The recent development of novel hormonal agents, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy has dramatically changed the treatment paradigm of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Until 2010, docetaxel was the only agent approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat mCRPC. Sipuleucel-T and cabazitaxel were both FDA approved in 2010, followed by abiraterone acetate in 2011, enzalutamide in 2012, and most recently, radium-223 dichloride in 2013. With the approval of several new agents by the FDA in recent years, there are now multiple treatment options for patients with mCRPC, making clinical decision-making more difficult. There are also guideline recommendations published from the NCCN, American Urological Association (AUA), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which can contribute to variations in treatment approaches. Additionally, treatment in an outpatient, office-based setting may result in cost savings compared to both hospital inpatient and outpatient settings. Other advantages include safe and easy drug administration, avoidance of hospitalization, familiarity with a particular facility, enhanced physical comfort, and improved psychological well being. This activity will review ...

Oncologists Dr. Sanjeeve Bala and Dr. Abhilasha Nair from FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence discuss the recent approval of bevacizumab-awwb, a biosimilar to US-licensed Avastin, marketed as MVASI. MVASI is the first biosimilar approved in the US for the treatment of cancer.

Released on December 21, 2017