Project Oncology

Guest: Nidhi Bhatt 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.

Guest: Yogindra Persuad 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.

Guest: Parul Rai Cardiopulmonary complications are a leading cause of early mortality in adults with sickle cell disease, with evidence showing that cardiac injury may begin as early as childhood. However, despite the severity of these issues, there are currently no uniform guidelines for asymptomatic cardiac screening in this population. Join Dr. Parul Rai, a physician in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, to learn about current research, early detection strategies, and the need for more sensitive diagnostic markers to prevent severe cardiac outcomes in patients with sickle cell disease.

Guest: Jorge Nieva, MD 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.

Guest: Jorge Nieva, MD 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.

Guest: Jorge Nieva, MD 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.

Guest: Jorge Nieva, MD 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.

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.

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.

Guest: Fernando López-Ríos, MD, PhD Guest: Christian Rolfo, MD, PhD Guest: Charlie Gourley, MD, PhD In this on-demand replay of a recent interactive webinar, renowned experts Prof. Fernando López-Ríos, Prof. Christian Rolfo, and Prof. Charlie Gourley review the latest data, guidelines, and patient cases as they explore best practices for HER2 testing and the evolving role of IHC in lung and ovarian cancers. Topics of conversation include the following: An overview of challenges related to HER2 immunohistochemistry, guidance, and interpretation of the results Targeting HER2 in lung cancer: where does IHC testing fit in? Ovarian cancer: challenges and considerations for HER2 IHC testing Watch the on-demand video to gain expert insights on optimising IHC HER2 testing and interpreting results in lung and ovarian cancer. The full programme is also featured on the COR2ED website, here: HER2 Testing: The Evolving Role of Immunohistochemistry (IHC)

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Matthew Hadfield, MD Subcutaneous cancer immunotherapies may offer a faster, more resource-efficient alternative to intravenous administration, improving patient convenience and accessibility while maintaining efficacy. However, careful monitoring for immunotherapy-related toxicities remains essential. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss these key considerations for subcutaneous cancer immunotherapies is Dr. Matthew Hadfield, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brown University/Alpert School of Medicine.

Guest: Michele Lambert, MD, MSTR New treatments are on the horizon for patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Dr. Michele Lambert shares insights on how BTK inhibitors and immune-targeting drugs aim to address the root causes of ITP and offer more personalized care for patients. Dr. Lambert, the Medical Director of the Special Coagulation Laboratory and a physician in the Division of Hematology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, presented on this topic at the 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Michael Gonzalez, PhD, MSc New research on the molecular mechanisms behind idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) through gene expression analysis of lymph node tissue has the potential to improve both diagnosis and treatment. Join Dr. Michael Gonzalez as he dives in on his recent findings, which he spoke about at the 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. Dr. Gonzalez is the Associate Director of Basic and Translational Research at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment and Laboratory and an Adjunct Professor at La Salle University.

Guest: Cheryl Maier MD, PhD Heparin resistance occurs when patients don’t respond to anticoagulation as expected, even with what seems like the appropriate dose. Join Dr. Cheryl Maier, who spoke about this topic at the 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, to learn more about testing methods, the role of antithrombin, and alternative treatments, like direct thrombin inhibitors. Dr. Maier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University and the Medical Director of the Emory Special Coagulation Laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia.

Guest: Mateo Bustamante Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a rare, life-threatening condition. Early diagnosis through excisional biopsies is key for speeding up treatment and improve patient outcomes. Learn more with Mateo Bustamante, a Senior Clinical Data Analyst at the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment and Laboratory at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

Guest: Joshua Brandstadter, MD, PhD, MSc Castleman disease is difficult to diagnose and treat, with half of patients not responding to therapy. To address these challenges, Dr. Joshua Brandstadter discusses his research on how stromal cells play a role in the disease. Based at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Brandstadter is an Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and the Director of Clinical Research for the Center of Cytokine Storm Treatment and Laboratory.

Guest: Betsy O'Donnell, MD Plasma cell disorders range from multiple myeloma to the monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which is a benign condition that affects anywhere between 3 and 10 percent of the population starting at age 50. However, about 1 percent of people per year who have MGUS will progress to multiple myeloma. Here to talk about common precursor diseases like MGUS and smoldering myeloma and how they can progress to multiple myeloma is Dr. Elizabeth O’Donnell, Director of Early Detection and Prevention at Dana-Farber.

Guest: David Braun Identifying biomarkers for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is critical since they can help direct our therapeutic approach, which is why several techniques that may be able to uncover new biomarkers are currently being investigated. Joining Dr. Jody Takemoto to review those techniques and their potential impacts on RCC care is Dr. David Braun, Assistant Professor of Medicine and a member of the Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology at Yale Cancer Center.

Guest: David Braun, MD, PhD A recent study investigated whether renal cell carcinoma (RCC) molecular subtypes have any impact on treatment outcomes. Here to share the surprising findings and their implications is Dr. David Braun, Assistant Professor of Medicine and a member of the Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology at Yale Cancer Center.

Guest: Robert Wong, MD Since the guidelines for diagnosing and treating hepatocellular carcinoma are often lengthy and complicated, it can be difficult for clinicians to stay up to date on the current recommendations and implement them in clinical practice. That’s why a team with the HCC Steering Committee of the Chronic Liver Disease Foundation developed a web-based, interactive tool that incorporates current guideline recommendations to help clinicians diagnose and treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. To learn more about this tool, Dr. Jody Takemoto speaks with Dr. Robert Wong. Not only is he a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, but he also helped develop the tool.