Pathways Study Genotype Data, Alliance A011502 Secondary Analysis Headline Roswell Park ASCO24 Presentations

New insights on improving clinical outcomes and quality of life among breast cancer patients highlight the slate of new research presentations Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center experts will deliver at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago next week.

“We are extremely proud of the great work done by our researchers, who will present results from trials and new data on prognostic biomarkers, quality of life and the impact of stress on outcomes,” says Renuka Iyer, MD, Vice Chair of Faculty Recruitment & Retention and Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine. 

Two physician-scientists from Roswell Park’s Breast Cancer Medical Oncology team will give invited talks on original research during the gathering of global oncology experts, patients and patient advocates, which begins Friday, May 31.

Arya Mariam Roy, MBBS, Hematology/Oncology Fellow, Class of 2024, will present “International medical graduates (IMG) representation at international oncology conference meetings” (Abstract 9000), as part of a Clinical Science Symposium on Conflicts (of Interest) and Conundrums: Perspectives from the Global Oncology Community, Saturday, June 1, 1:15-2:45 p.m. CDT in S100bc, highlighting the differences in speaking opportunities for foreign medical graduates compared to graduates of U.S. medical schools. “This is very important as we strive for equity in our professional societies,” notes Dr. Iyer. 

Dr. Roy, who received an ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Award recognizing the high quality of her work, will also give a second oral presentation, “Breast cancer polygenic risk score and patient survival outcomes in the Pathways study” (Abstract 10502) during the Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Genetics Oral Abstract session on Saturday, June 1, from 3-6 p.m. CDT in S100a. Based on the Pathways Study carried out in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente Northern California, the presentation reports findings of genome-wide genotype data for nearly 4,000 women. “This insightful application of polygenic scores is an important piece of data that has too often been missing in survivorship care, and tells us in a very well-done study the value the score has to predict second cancers and survival,” says Dr. Iyer.

Also speaking during the meeting will be Shipra Gandhi, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine, who will highlight the findings of “Association of higher baseline stress and pain with clinical outcomes: Secondary analysis from Alliance A011502” (Abstract 11016) during the Quality Care/Health Services Research Rapid Oral Abstract session on Monday, June 3, from 1:15-2:45 p.m. CDT in S102. “This is the first prospective study to show that higher stress and pain levels correlate with poor survival in breast cancer, underscoring the importance of managing these common symptoms in our patients,” says Dr. Iyer. 

Roswell Park Chief of Leukemia Eunice Wang, MD, is Co-Chair and moderator of the Hematologic Malignancies – Leukemia, Myodysplastic Syndromes, and Allotransplant Oral Abstract session, happening Friday, May 31, from 2:45-5:45 p.m. CDT in S100bc. And And Rohit Gosain, MD, Roswell Park faculty member and Medical Director of Roswell Park Hematology Oncology Southtowns, will be a panelist on a Trainee & Early Career Lounge Discussion “Leveraging Social Media Early on in Your Career” on Friday, May 31, from 2-2:45 p.m. CDT, Hall C (adjacent to Meeting Registration). 

Other featured abstracts

Thirteen teams will present new Roswell Park-led research during poster sessions at the ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting:

• Yu Fujiwara, MD, Hematology/Oncology Fellow in Roswell Park’s Department of Medicine, is first author on “Pan-cancer B- and T-cell transcriptome analysis of CXCL13 as a predictive marker for immune checkpoint inhibitor response,” to be presented during the Developmental Therapeutics – Immunotherapy session, Abstract 2626, poster board 105, Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m. to noon CDT in Hall A.
  
  Dr. Fujiwara is also senior author on “Surgical outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy versus chemotherapy alone: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” to be presented during the Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Local-Regional/Small Cell/Other Thoracic Cancers session, Abstract 8020, poster board 282, Monday, June 3, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Igor Puzanov, MD, MSCI, FACP, Senior Vice President of Clinical Investigation, The Judith and Stanford Lipsey Endowed Chair in Clinical Cancer Research, Professor of Oncology and Director of Early Phase Clinical Trials, Department of Medicine, is senior author on “A phase 1/1b study of the IL-2 prodrug WTX-124 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors after checkpoint inhibitor therapy: Initial results of the combination dose escalation with pembrolizumab” (Abstract 2623), to be presented in the Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy session, poster board 102, Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m. – noon CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Riya Jayesh Patel, MBBS, Hematology/Oncology Fellow in the Department of Medicine, is first author and Renuka Iyer, MD, Vice Chair of Faculty Recruitment & Retention, is senior author on “Genomic signature analysis and survival outcomes in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) using oncology research information exchange network (ORIEN) database,” to be presented in the Gastrointestinal Cancer – Gastroesophageal, Pancreatic, and Hepatobiliary session, Abstract 4101, poster board 81, Saturday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Deepak Vadehra, DO, Assistant Professor of Oncology and Co-Leader of the Adolescent and Young Adult Translational Research Group, Department of Medicine/Gastrointestinal Center, is first author and Sarbajit Mukherjee, MD, MS, Co-Leader of GI Translational Research and Associate Professor of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Immunology, is senior author on “Non-colorectal GI malignancies in the young: Incidence trends, demographic disparities, and survival analysis,” to be presented in the Gastrointestinal Cancer – Gastroesophageal, Pancreatic, and Hepatobiliary session, Abstract 4023, poster board 3, Saturday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Malak Saud Alharbi, MBBS, Hematology/Oncology Fellow in Roswell Park’s Department of Medicine, is first author and Saby George, MD, FACP, Professor of Oncology and Medicine and Director of Network Clinical Trials, is senior author on “Impact of obesity on immune-related adverse events and tyrosine kinase inhibitor side effects in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC),” to be presented during the Genitourinary Cancer – Kidney and Bladder session, Abstract 4560, poster board 255, Sunday, June 2, 9 a.m. to noon CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Saby George, MD, FACP, Professor of Oncology and Medicine and Director of Network Clinical Trials, will present “Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with nivolumab (NIVO) subcutaneous (SC) or intravenous (IV) in patients (pts) with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who have received prior therapy in the phase 3 CheckMate 67T trial,” during the Genitourinary Cancer – Kidney and Bladder session, Abstract 4535, poster board 230, Sunday, June 2, 9 a.m.-noon CDT, in Hall A.

• Mody Amin, MD, DO, Resident Physician with the Department of Medicine, is first author and Eunice Wang, MD, is senior author on “Impact of body mass index and karyotype on clinical outcomes in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with acute myeloid leukemia,” to be presented in the Hematologic Malignancies – Leukemia, Myodysplastic Syndromes, and Allotransplant session, Abstract 6551, poster board 110, Monday, June 3, 9 a.m.–noon CDT in Hall A.

  Dr. Amin is first author and Francisco Hernandez-Ilizaliturri, MD, Director of Lymphoma Research and Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine, is senior author on “Carfilzomib plus rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (C-RICE) led to higher response, OS, and PFS in patients with transplant-eligible relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)” poster in the Hematologic Malignancies – Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia session, Abstract 7042, poster board 25, Monday, June 3, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Hall A.

• Muhammad Salman Faisal, MBBS, Hematology/Oncology Fellow in Roswell Park’s Department of Medicine, is first author and Saby George, MD, FACP, Professor of Oncology and Medicine and Director of Network Clinical Trials, is senior author on “Risk assessment of cardiovascular adverse events with BTK inhibitors in hematological malignancies: Insights from FAERS,” to be presented during the Symptom Science – Palliative Care session, Abstract 12145, poster board 274, Monday, June 3, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Amy Gallagher, PsyD, MSHCT, Director, Employee Resiliency Program, is first author and Amy Case, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, is senior author on “Utilizing data to drive solutions for healthcare worker wellbeing,” during the Medical Education and Professional Development session, Abstract 9012, poster board 1, Monday, June 3, 1:30-4:30 CDT in Hall A.

• Karan Jatwani, MD, Hematology/Oncology Fellow in Roswell Park’s Department of Medicine, is first author on “End-of-life care preferences in patients with gallbladder cancer: Shifting patterns and disparities over two decades,” to be presented during the Symptom Science – Palliative Care session, Abstract 12036, poster board 165, Monday, June 3, 1:30-4:30 p.m. in Hall A.

  Dr. Jatwani is also first author on, and Dharmesh Gopalakrishnan, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine/Genitourinary Center, is senior author on “Risk assessment of myelosuppression with PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer: Insights from FAERS” during the Symptom Science – Palliative Care session, Abstract 12144, poster board 273, Monday, June 3, 1:30-4:30 p.m. in Hall A.

Clinical Trials in Progress

Additionally, three Roswell Park teams will update their international colleagues on clinical trials that are currently underway:

• Robert Fenstermaker, MD, Chair of Neurosurgery, is senior author on "A multicenter, randomized controlled phase 2b trial of survivin vaccine SurVaxM plus adjuvant temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma (SURVIVE)" (Abstract TPS2099), to be presented by Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia of Miami Cancer Institute during the Central Nervous System Tumors session, poster board 393a, Saturday, June 1, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. CDT in Hall A.
   
• Christos Fountzilas, MD, Associate Director for Solid Tumors/Early Phase Clinical Trials Program, Associate Professor of Oncology and Co-Leader, Gastrointestinal Clinical Disease Team, Department of Medicine, is first author on “A randomized, multi-center, phase 2 study of ivaltinostat (Ival) plus capecitabine (Cape) versus capecitabine alone in the maintenance setting in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC)” (Abstract TPS4206), to be presented in the Gastrointestinal Cancer – Gastroesophageal, Pancreatic, and Hepatobiliary session, poster board 173a, Saturday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A.
• Shipra Gandhi, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine, is first author and Elizabeth Repasky, PhD, Vice Chair, Distinguished Member, Professor of Oncology and The Lawrence J. Minet Endowed Chair in Immunology, Department of Immunology, is senior author on “A phase II trial to assess the impact of ?2 adrenergic blockade in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)– refractory metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC)” (Abstract TPS1141), to be presented during the Breast Cancer – Metastatic session, poster board 108b, Sunday, June 2, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Hall A.