Project Oncology

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Saad Kenderian M.B, Ch.B CAR T-cell therapy has been revolutionary in the treatment of blood cancers like chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma, and according to recent research, this therapeutic approach may also help patients with thyroid cancer. However, there are several challenges associated with applying this technology to target solid tumors in thyroid cancer, like tumor heterogeneity and resistance. Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to talk about these challenges and how a research team is working to overcome them is Dr. Saad J. Kenderian, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Immunology, and Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Guest: Robert Wong, MD Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of liver cancer globally, underscoring the importance of screening, diagnosing, and treating patients appropriately. However, there are several considerations to keep in mind when caring for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with hepatitis B co-infection, which is why Dr. Jody Takemoto speaks with Dr. Robert Wong about those factors and essential management strategies. Dr. Wong is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Guest: Phillip H. Kuo, MD, PhD One of the major changes that's occurred very recently in the field of neurodegenerative disease and Alzheimer's disease, specifically, are the recently approved antibody therapies that remove amyloid from the brain, which is one of the culprit proteins in Alzheimer's disease. To learn more about this presentation from SNMMI 2024, join Dr. Phillip Kuo, Professor of Medical Imaging, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona.

Guest: Robert Wong, MD A recent study explored clinician-level gaps and barriers to hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in patients with cirrhosis and found that there is a lot of work to be done to help improve knowledge about cirrhosis, the recommended cancer screening guidelines, and how to implement those recommendations. Joining Dr. Jody Takemoto to discuss these findings and how we can address the uncovered challenges is Dr. Robert Wong, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Geoffrey B. Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET scans are a method by which clinicians can see if a patient who is suffering from prostate cancer has tumors that are expressing the PSMA target. In addition to that, the scan allows us to measure how much of the medication we get onto that cancer target and if it’s going to be effective. Take a deep dive with Dr. Jennifer Caudle as she speaks with Dr. Geoffrey Johnson, Nuclear Medicine Specialist and Radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who also presented this research at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2024 Annual Meeting.

Guest: Geoffrey B. Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. When looking at patients who suffer from prostate cancer who are receiving PSMA therapy, we can see on our images that the medication not only goes to their cancer, but it also goes to some other things in their body, including the salivary glands. To learn more about his recent study on salivary toxicity, join Dr. Geoffrey Johnson, Nuclear Medicine Specialist and Radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Guest: Geoffrey B. Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. Clinicians are hopeful that theranostics could help treat patients as soon as they go metastatic or even before surgery to try to affect their therapy and possibly get them to avoid having to take toxic or high side effect therapies. To hear more, tune in with Dr. Geoffrey Johnson, Nuclear Medicine Specialist and Radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Guest: Chi Liu, PhD The field of artificial intelligence in nuclear medicine is evolving quickly with new models and approaches. Tune in with Dr. Chi Liu, Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Yale University, to hear more about his presentation from SNMMI 2024.

Guest: Joyita Dutta The AI landscape is evolving at a rapid pace. However, there is a shortage of large public data sets in nuclear medicine that AI models can be trained on. To learn more about what’s on the AI horizon and the challenges that are associated, join Dr. Joyita Dutta, Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, who also presented this at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2024 Annual Meeting.

Guest: Brianna Cagle The Discovery Team at Perspective has developed a compound, called PSV-359, which is a cyclic peptide radiopharmaceutical. It targets a protein, called fibroblast activation protein (FAP), which is a pan-cancer target and is expressed in a wide variety of cancers. To learn more about her presentation from SNMMI 2024, hear from Brianna Cagle, Research Scientist at Perspective Therapeutics in Iowa.

Guest: Lillian Siu, MD, FRCPC Since cancer vaccines have been of interest to oncologists for decades, they’ve been trying to figure out how to prime or stimulate the immune system to attack cancer, and until the last few years, cancer vaccines have been challenging. To learn about this unique area of study, which she also presented at ASCO 2024, join Dr. Lillian Siu, Senior Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Guest: Lillian Siu, MD, FRCPC With a few studies in the works for cancer vaccines, the future is exciting for what this could mean for oncology patients. Dive in to learn about the various ways to package cancer vaccines so they can be delivered to patients effectively. And to learn more about the limitations, targets, and platforms of cancer vaccines, which was the topic of her presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 Conference, hear from Dr. Lillian Siu, Senior Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Guest: Ashley L. Sumrall, MD If we want to ensure that we and our patients have healthcare when we’re older and it continues to be available, it’s important to take a stand and be a part of advocacy work. There are multiple ways to get involved, and it’s not as intimidating as someone might think, so to share some of these strategies and the impact it could have on the future of healthcare, join Dr. Ashely Sumrall, Medical Oncologist, Hematologist, and Associate Professor at Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Levine Cancer Institute.

Guest: Ashley L. Sumrall, MD Advocacy is rooted in patients telling their stories, and every patient can be an advocate to help and allow others to hear about their experience. This has also helped clinicians get the medicine they need for their patients. Dive in to hear how you can incorporate advocacy strategies into your practice with Dr. Ashley Sumrall, Neuro- and Medical Oncologist, Hematologist, and Associate Professor at Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Levine Cancer Institute.

Guest: Tyler J Bradshaw, PhD In recent years, doctors have become interested in how large language models and AI technologies could potentially improve radiology overall. Even though these technologies are still in the beginning stages of being used in medicine, eventually doctors hope to show what impact they could have on patients. To learn more about these new technologies and imaging agents, join Dr. Tyler Bradshaw, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who presented this topic at the SNMMI 2024 Annual Meeting.

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Tara Graff, DO, MS The therapeutic landscape for relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma has greatly evolved in the past several years, with CAR T-cell therapy and personalized care becoming increasingly important in the second-line setting. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss how CAR T-cell therapy and patient-centered care can help optimize outcomes in the second-line treatment of patients with B-cell lymphoma is medical oncologist Dr. Tara Graff.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Sarah Rutherford, MD Due to its strong response rates and manageable adverse events, CAR T-cell therapy is now considered the standard-of-care treatment for B-cell lymphomas in the second-line setting, which could lead to better outcomes for patients. Learn more about the efficacy and safety profile of CAR T-cell therapy with Dr. Jennifer Caudle and Dr. Sarah Rutherford, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Guest: Alan Bryce, MD Lutetium-177and radium-223 have both been shown to significantly improve survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, but how do these treatment options compare? Find out with Dr. Alan Bryce, who presented a session on this exact topic at the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Neeraj Agarwal, MD, FASCO TALAPRO-2 was a recent phase 3 study conducted in the first-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) setting. Patients were randomized to receive either enzalutamide plus talazoparib or enzalutamide plus placebo, and the researchers found that there was a 37 percent reduction in risk of progression or death among those who received enzalutamide plus talazoparib. Dive further into the findings and their implications for patients with mCRPC with Dr. Charles Turck and Dr. Neeraj Agarwal, Professor of Medicine at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah.

Host: Rishi Sekar, MD A recent study sought to investigate why there are disparities in mortality as well as access and participation in clinical trials among vulnerable prostate cancer populations. According to the findings, counties in the United States that had the highest prostate cancer mortality were less likely to have any clinical trials in the area. Dive further into the results with Dr. Rishi Sekar, who presented the “Disparities in Prostate Cancer Mortality and Clinical Trial Availability Across Vulnerable Populations” session at the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.