41 min
Episode 31: Unleashing the future of cancer treatments - ASCO highlights with past ASCO president Dr. Doug Blayney (Part 2) Patient from Hell
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- Medicine
Dr. Douglas Blayney, past ASCO president and oncologist, gives us his thoughts on some of the key scientific themes presented at the 2023 ASCO annual meeting. In the field of breast cancer, there are three key areas of interest Dr. Blayney discusses. First, there is growing attention towards the use of CDK 4/6 inhibitors in the treatment of hormone positive breast cancer. Second, the significance of somatic cell DNA testing is being recognized. This testing can inform treatment decisions at different stages of the disease and help identify when a change in treatment is necessary. Lastly, there is a focus on the emerging role of antibody drug conjugates, which can selectively kill cancer cells in a more targeted way. Samira and Dr. Blayney also discuss how patients learn from and use this new information in partnership with their physician.
Key Highlights:
What are CDK 4/6 inhibitors and why are they important?
How can genetic testing inform cancer treatment plans?
How do physicians and patients think about and integrate new scientific findings?
About our guest:
Dr. Doug Blayney is an oncology physician who specializes in breast cancer. His research focuses on quality improvement in cancer care systems, new drug development, and patient experience improvement. At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), he was founding Editor-in-Chief of its flagship practice journal, and as President, started the ASCO Quality Symposium and began planning for ASCO’s CancerLinq. He was a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Growth Factor Guideline panel, and is a past member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee and the NCCN Board of Directors. Dr. Blayney leads the Manta Cares Scientific Advisory Board.
Key Moments:
8 minutes: What is a CDK 4/6 inhibitor? “When that estrogen receptor growth pathway is shut down, the cell compensates, or many of the cancer cells compensate by this CDK 4/6 pathway. And it turns out that if you combine estrogen blockade with blockade of the CD46 pathway at various steps, you can have an augmented or more effective therapeutic approach.”
18 minutes: On the types of DNA and how they impact cancer treatment decisions: “There are two kinds of DNA. There's germline DNA, which is present in every cell in our body. Then there is somatic mutation, which happens to various cells. Whether it's in a breast cell or a lung lining cell or a colon lining cell, an accumulation of those mutations in the right spot can lead to a cancer.”
33 minutes: On thinking about decision making with new scientific advances: “Your listeners may remember that 20 or 30 years ago, randomized clinical trial looked at circulating tumor cells monitoring versus standard monitoring. And the circulating tumor cell DNA did not improve survival, probably because of the sensitivity of the test. Plus the treatments 20 or 30 years ago weren't as efficacious. There weren't as many of them. So if the cancer was growing, but you didn't have an effective treatment for it, so what? Looking at this now, the situation has changed. The test is probably more sensitive, and we have more treatments.”
Visit the Manta Cares website
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotif
Dr. Douglas Blayney, past ASCO president and oncologist, gives us his thoughts on some of the key scientific themes presented at the 2023 ASCO annual meeting. In the field of breast cancer, there are three key areas of interest Dr. Blayney discusses. First, there is growing attention towards the use of CDK 4/6 inhibitors in the treatment of hormone positive breast cancer. Second, the significance of somatic cell DNA testing is being recognized. This testing can inform treatment decisions at different stages of the disease and help identify when a change in treatment is necessary. Lastly, there is a focus on the emerging role of antibody drug conjugates, which can selectively kill cancer cells in a more targeted way. Samira and Dr. Blayney also discuss how patients learn from and use this new information in partnership with their physician.
Key Highlights:
What are CDK 4/6 inhibitors and why are they important?
How can genetic testing inform cancer treatment plans?
How do physicians and patients think about and integrate new scientific findings?
About our guest:
Dr. Doug Blayney is an oncology physician who specializes in breast cancer. His research focuses on quality improvement in cancer care systems, new drug development, and patient experience improvement. At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), he was founding Editor-in-Chief of its flagship practice journal, and as President, started the ASCO Quality Symposium and began planning for ASCO’s CancerLinq. He was a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Growth Factor Guideline panel, and is a past member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee and the NCCN Board of Directors. Dr. Blayney leads the Manta Cares Scientific Advisory Board.
Key Moments:
8 minutes: What is a CDK 4/6 inhibitor? “When that estrogen receptor growth pathway is shut down, the cell compensates, or many of the cancer cells compensate by this CDK 4/6 pathway. And it turns out that if you combine estrogen blockade with blockade of the CD46 pathway at various steps, you can have an augmented or more effective therapeutic approach.”
18 minutes: On the types of DNA and how they impact cancer treatment decisions: “There are two kinds of DNA. There's germline DNA, which is present in every cell in our body. Then there is somatic mutation, which happens to various cells. Whether it's in a breast cell or a lung lining cell or a colon lining cell, an accumulation of those mutations in the right spot can lead to a cancer.”
33 minutes: On thinking about decision making with new scientific advances: “Your listeners may remember that 20 or 30 years ago, randomized clinical trial looked at circulating tumor cells monitoring versus standard monitoring. And the circulating tumor cell DNA did not improve survival, probably because of the sensitivity of the test. Plus the treatments 20 or 30 years ago weren't as efficacious. There weren't as many of them. So if the cancer was growing, but you didn't have an effective treatment for it, so what? Looking at this now, the situation has changed. The test is probably more sensitive, and we have more treatments.”
Visit the Manta Cares website
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
---
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotif
41 min