June 12, 2024 Gyn Cancer Research News

Tonight the #gyncsm community discussed Gynecologic Cancer Research News presented at the SGO (Society of Gynecologic Oncology) and ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) annual meetings. You may find our transcript here and analytics here. 

Highlights from our chat: 

T1: What #SGOmtg presentations/posters did you find most interesting?

• I attended #SGOmtg virtually this year and found a large number of studies focused on endometrial cancer and immunotherapies >> Combo’s like dostarlimab + chemo in the ENGOT-EN6-NSGO/GOG-3031/RUBY Trial showed improved OS
• One Recurrent OC study with Antibody drug conjugates (ADC)s the CDH6 directed Raludotatug deruxtecan (R-DXd) showed promising response in early studies Duration of response was 11 months #gyncsm #

T2: Which #ASCO24 studies do you think may be of most interest to patients?

• ASCO, one Trial for recurrent OC, AGO-OVAR 2.29 using Atezolizumab showed OS atezo arm 14.2 months vs 13.0 placebo arm, No better than without atezo , AE's higher in Atezo arm too. #ASCO24 #gyncsm
• ASCO published these notable studies for 2024 including: advanced epithelial ovarian cancer may safely avoid having their lymph nodes removed during cancer surgery without it impacting survival. https://society.asco.org/practice-patients/patient-resources/breaking-cancer-news-patients#CARACO
• T2 or this study People vaccinated for HPV have lower chances of developing HPV-related cancers, especially head and neck cancer in men and cervical cancer in women 

T3: In the last year, have there been any practice-changing gyn cancer studies patients should know about? Combo treatment studies, immunotherapy and antibody drug conjugate studies? Rare cancer therapies?

• Use of biomarkers to target the best therapies to treat women with gyn cancer was talked about repeatedly at SGO.> Repair Assisted Damage Detection (RADD) as a potential predictive biomarker for immunotherapy response in ovarian cancer reported on by Dr Rocconi 
• T3 Use of ctDNA was also a topic of interest at SGO and ASCO 1 study for cervical cancer Circulating #HPV 16/18 DNA detectable with 100% sensitivity in higher stage and 50% in low stage cervical cancer & at time of recurrence

T4: What are some of the "hot topics" in gynecologic cancer research currently? Will AI play a role? 

• AI to predict homologous recombination deficiency in OC from histopathological images. #5578 deep neural networks (DNN), can provide a rapid/ scalable solution for HRD prediction, …model could significantly enhance efficiency, reduce the turnaround time and cost” #gyncsm
• T4 Machine learning used in a study cfDNA fragmentomics - New Classification test for endometrial ca, reported sensitive even for early stage cancer
• more emerging data and use in ongoing trials and practice in Her2 low endometrial with trastuzumab deruxtecan
• T4 It was good to see research for low grade serous OC treatments: MAPK assoc tumors better outcomes. Endocrine treatment studies, MEk inhibitors and CDK 4/6 inhibitors being researched. #gyncsm

T5: Once again, cancer drug shortages were highlighted at both #SGOmtg and #ASCO24. What resources for health care providers and patients are available?

• #ASCO24 video on Solving Decades of Drug Shortages in Oncology: What, Who, and When? Available at https://asco-meetings.gallery.video/2024-am-bonus-content/detail/videos/all-sessions/video/6354230771112/solving-decades-of-drug-shortages-in-oncology #gyncsm
• sgo.org/news/2023-fly-in-day-sgo-advocates-call-for-chemotherapy-drug-shortage-mitigation-and-relief-from-medicare-cuts/#:~:text=Chemotherapy%20Shortages,and%20cisplatin%20for%20gynecologic%20cancers.@SGO_org Advocates and leaders worked hard on this ! #gyncsm
• Great resources here for management and how we can help raise awareness and support https://sgo.org/chemotherapy-drug-shortage/. #gyncsm

T6: Are there recent studies surrounding palliative care, survivorship, and psychosocial research that could help gyn cancer survivors?

• T6 #ASCO24 Trends in palliative care utilization among patients with OC in the US. Use of inpatient PC for patients with OC increased over time, assoc wi/ older age, Black race, depression, and treatment in urban enviro or in teaching hospitals. #gyncsm
• T6 Cancer Cachexia - weight loss study https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/multipronged-approach-may-slow-cancer-cachexia-weight-loss?cid=DM17382&bid=382345250 Combo of exercise , nutrition counseling ( omega 3 fatty acid use) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication prevented weight loss 

• #gyncsm #ASCO24 great session and discussion on rapid results availability on EMR and how best to balance better communication and expectations and pt preferences @TheLizArmy gave a great presentation on this! https://t.co/mlB9DIMwQM

— Nita Lee (@NitaKarnikLee) June 13, 2024

Thanks to everyone who joined us. Remember you can continue our discussion about research on @smart_patients by joining Smart Patients at https://www.smartpatients.com/partners/gyncsm.

Our next Chat will be on September 11, 2024 at 8pm ET. See you then!

Dee and Christina

July 12, 2023 Gyn Cancer Research News

At this month’s chat, the #gyncsm community discussed gynecologic cancer research presented at the #SGOmtg and #ASCO23 meetings. We had eleven participants and you may find the transcript HERE and additional analytics HERE.

Below are some responses to our topic questions.

T1: What #SGOMtg presentations did you find most interesting? [Acronym buster: SGO = Society of Gynecologic Oncology]

• SGO mtg round-up from @CancerNetwrk https://www.cancernetwork.com/conference/sgo
• @Stigetta did an excellent job highlighting SGO mtg research https://ocrahope.org/news/highlights-2023-annual-meeting-of-the-society-of-gynecologic-oncology-sgo/
  
• I found the Pembrolizumab versus Placebo in Addition to Carboplatin and Paclitaxel for Measurable Stage 3 or 4a, Stage 4b or recurrent Endometrial Cancer : Phase 3 NRG GYO18 Study (Keynote 868) study extended survival most interesting. Median Prog free survival 13 months Pembro versus 8 month survival
• There was also the Ruby Trial at #SGOmtg this tweet talks about both. https://twitter.com/eugeniagirda/status/1640481843664265222?s=61
• @womenofteal also covered #SGOMtg on her blog https://womenofteal.blogspot.com/search?q=SGO

T2: Which #ASCO23 studies do you think may be of most interest to patients? [Acronym buster: ASCO = American Society of Clinical Oncology]

• I found this @CancerNetwrk Gyn Cancer round-up page highlighted the main #ASCO23 studies for #gyncsm https://www.cancernetwork.com/clinical/gynecologic-cancer
• The Shape trial for Cervical cancer: phase III trial comparing radical hysterectomy and pelvic node dissection (RH) vs simple hysterectomy and pelvic node dissection (SH) in patients with low-risk early-stage cervical cancer (LRESCC) : fewer side effect w/ simple 
• Here's @womenofteal coverage of #ASCO23 https://womenofteal.blogspot.com/search?q=ASCO23&max-results=20&by-date=true
• Lots of discussions on Antibody drug conjugates at #ASCO23 eye toxicities with ADC’s can be handled with steroids. https://twitter.com/womenofteal/status/1664752857885581314?s=61

T3: In the last year, have there been any practice-changing gyn cancer studies patients should know about? (cervical, endometrial/uterine, ovarian. vaginal, vulvar, or other)

• The Future of Endometrial Cancer Treatment Based on Practice-Changing SGO Abstracts https://www.targetedonc.com/view/the-future-of-endometrial-cancer-treatment-based-on-practice-changing-sgo-abstracts via @targetedonc
• T-DXd May be ‘Practice Changing’ in HER2+ Gynecologic Cancers https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/t-dxd-may-be-practice-changing-in-her2-gynecologic-cancers via @CancerNetwrk 
• Cervical Cancer OS from Keynote 826 https://twitter.com/ShannonWestin/status/1665088788157063172

T4: What are some of the "hot topics" in gynecologic cancer research currently?

• For me, from what was reported at SGO/ASCO, antibody drug conjugates and immunotherapies were the hot topics.
• Cancer Glossary via @theNCI antibody-drug conjugate https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/antibody-drug-conjugate
• It feels like we've been talking about targeted therapies and immunotherapy for years, but research is a long game and there are more studies each year on applying these newer modalities to gyn cancers. Here's to these staying on the hot topic lis
• The best practices for PARP use in OC is an important discussion too. https://twitter.com/womenofteal/status/1679290551173103616
• hot topic: Radical hysterectomy and Cervical cancer: SHAPE Trial https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/shape-trial-radical-hysterectomy-may-not-needed-early-stage-low-risk-cervical-cancer

T5: Both #ASCO23 and #SGOmtg held sessions on disparity and equity in cancer care. What was highlighted and how can we work to decrease disparities in gynecologic cancer care?

• We can point out all the voices that are missing from conversations. 
• It also feels like we've been talking about disparity and equity for years, but I do see more and more studies taking deep dives and it is great to see gyn-specific studies that are fully about disparities or at least have incorporated it into the research. #gyncsm
• Disparity and Equity are complicated to study, but it is entirely possible to not only study but design practical interventions to address. It can seem daunting but when we include more voices we can go far
• Should we treat Pacific Islanders the same as Asian population? https://twitter.com/dholakiamd/status/1640733888988213258
  

T6: Cancer drug shortages were highlighted at both #SGOMtg and #ASCO23. What resources for health care providers and patients are available?

• T6 @SGO_org has been working hard to highlight the impact of shortages on patients with the Congress and the public https://www.sgo.org/news/drugshortages5/
• @ASCO Drug Shortages Resource Page https://old-prod.asco.org/practice-patients/practice-support/drug-shortages

Note there is no #gyncsm chat in August. Stay tuned for information about our next chat which will be held in September during Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month / Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.



See you in September,

Dee and Christina
Co-Moderators

Gyn Cancer Research News - July 12, 2023

We are happy to once again be sharing the latest Gynecologic Cancer Research News as we cover studies from this year's #SGOmtg and #ASCO23 Annual Meetings. Join us on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 8pm ET (7pm CT, 5pm PT) as we discuss findings that may impact how gynecologic cancers are treated in the future.

We will discuss topics in gyn cancer research presented at both meetings, presentations that oncologists and patients who attended found most interesting, which research may make the greatest impact on patient lives, and cancer equity topics. What studies were of most interest to you - Gynecologic cancer screening, treatment and research with regard to antibody drug conjugates? PARP inhibitors? Immunotherapy? We will also touch on the impact of drug shortages on patients and on clinical trials.

The Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer (SGO)

News Round-up from Cancer Network: https://www.cancernetwork.com/conference/sgo

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting

GYN Cancer News from Cancer Network: https://www.cancernetwork.com/clinical/gynecologic-cancer

We'll use the following topic prompts (T#) to guide our discussion:

T1: What #SGOMtg presentations did you find most interesting?

T2: Which #ASCO23 studies do you think may be of most interest to patients?

T3: In the last year, have there been any practice-changing gyn cancer studies patients should know about? (cervical, endometrial/uterine, ovarian. vaginal, vulvar, or other)

T4: What are some of the "hot topics" in gynecologic cancer research currently?

T5: Both #ASCO23 and #SGOmtg held sessions on disparity and equity in cancer care. What was highlighted and how can we work to decrease disparities in gynecologic cancer care? 

T6: Cancer drug shortages were highlighted at both #SGOMtg and #ASCO23. What resources for health care providers and patients are available?

(Bonus if time) T7: Are there recent studies surrounding palliative care, survivorship, and psychosocial research that could help gyn cancer survivors?

We hope to see you on Wednesday July 12th! 

Dee and Christina 
Co-founders #gyncsm 

June 9, 2021 Gyn Cancer Research News - #SGOmtg & #ASCO21

This month we discussed the latest research news from the 2021 SGO Annual Meeting and the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting . Both meetings were once again held virtually due to the Covid -19 pandemic. 

Twenty-two participants discussed a variety of research studies presented at the two meetings. You may find the complete transcript here and the analytics here. 

Here are some highlighted answers to our questions. 

T1: 

What #SGOMtg presentations did you personally find of most interest?

Anything practice-changing to note?

• The best part for me was a discussion (debate might be a better word ) on secondary cytoreductive surgery between Dr Gardner and Dr Coleman . #SGOmtg #gyncsm https://twitter.com/womenofteal/status/1402781130462580738
• Glad to see continued learning on PARPs. Immunotherapy seems to still need lots of figuring out. Sobering info on female experiences in GynOnc - being a majority female specialty but still wage gap, bullying, etc. 
• This SGO study was mentioned by my GYN - that maybe my IUD can counter-effect incr endo risk from tamoxifen: Hormonal IUD Shows Promise as an Effective Treatment for Early Endometrial Cancer or Precancer  https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/hormonal-iud-shows-promise-as-an-effective-treatment-for-early-endometrial-cancer-or-precancer 
• Vulvar Cancer Research Pembrolizumab for vulvar squamous cell carcinoma: results from the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study R. Shapira Frommer Responses independent of PDL-1 status. 
• T1 a great overview @ocrahope of #SGOmtg from advocates @Stigetta and @KathleenMaxian https://ocrahope.org/2021/05/highlights-2021-virtual-annual-meeting-of-sgo/

T2: 

There was a session at #SGOmtg entitled "Time to Return to the Drawing Board: Learning From Negative Trials." 

What are "negative" trials and what are some key take-aways?  

• T2 I think hearing about treatments that are tried yet don't give the results the researchers expect are still valuable to hear about. 
• T2 hard to hear about Negative trials. We learn what not to do; however, it’s disheartening for those in treatment.owed general ovarian screening over time not effective. Hard to learn but glad for these studies. 
• T2 #SGOMtg Phase II Durvalumab (anti-PDL1)& Tremelimumab (anti-CTLA4) Administered in Combo versus Sequentially for the Treatment of Recurrent HGSOC No diff between arms in PFS  - Clear cell histology should be examined
• In #sarcoma, the olaratumab trial failed to reach its goals. But it did spur a lot of thinking on trial design.

T3: 

Which #ASCO21 studies do you think may be of most interest to patients?

• ASCO Abstracts link https://t.co/PlP2JFRsQZ ] #gyncsm
• T3- definitely a theme of more is not always better. Longer duration of bevacizumab in upfront maintenance did not improve survival in #OvarianCancer 
• From #ASCO21 I saw diversity and patient voice being highlighted in what seemed to be genuine ways. Long way to go but nice to see. The study about helping "light up" tumor so it can be removed looked fascinating.
• We evaluated the wee1 inhibitor adavosertib alone or in combination with olaparib in women w #PARPi resistant #OvarianCancer - we saw activity in both arms including disease shrinkage and disease stabilization for >4 months. Many women have stayed on for >a year! 
• Pafolacianine Sodium injection (OTL38) agent lit up tumors with an overexpression of folate receptor alpha so surgeon could remove.
• T3 I was excited about a novel GEM vaccine every 4 weeks as maintenance, 91 patients Gem well tolerated. Benefit for Homologous Recombination proficient patients
• A3: There were so many negative trials this year! But knowing that interventions cause harm without benefit (adding chemo in cx cancer, immunotherapy to ov cancer) is incredibly important to guide future therapies.  
• This study by @Carisls was important at #ASCO21 for differentiating uterine #leiomyosarcoma from LMS elsewhere in the body. 
• At #ASCO21, there was continued discussion on PARP inhibitors for (some) women with uterine #leiomyosarcoma. Also, the addition of temozolomide seemed promising. 

T4: 

What are some of the "hot topics" in gynecologic cancer research currently ( PARPs, cytoreductive surgery, immunotherapy, other)? What is still up for debate that patients/survivors/advocates should be aware of?

• T4 I’m wanting more patients eligible for trials. We, as advocates, need to question this, particularly when we are on trial teams. 
• From the plenary session #ASCO21 cervical Cancer study - OUTBACK showed that adjuvant chemotherapy added to standard chemoradiation therapy did not improve survival outcomes for women with locally advanced cervical cancer. 

T5:

Are there recent studies surrounding palliative care, survivorship, and psychosocial research that could help gyn cancer survivors? 

• Different patients feel differently about scans, tumor markers, surveillance (some patients even like getting pelvic examinations!). What's most important is that communication is good so that you can land on a plan that works for patient and healthcare team. 
• T5 There is this study by @DrAttai presented at ASCO. - Patient preferences for survivorship care #ASCO21 abstr 12064 w/ @DrN_CancerPCP @subatomicdoc @BZavaletaMD meetinglibrary.asco.org/record/200314/…
• #gyncsm - There was an SGO study around neuropathy " Lauren Thomaier presents Genetic variants predictive of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms in gynecologic cancer survivors at #SGOMtg Fantastic work to identify patients most at risk of CIPN! Very important! "

T6

Both #ASCO21 and #SGOmtg held sessions on disparities in gynecologic cancer care. What was highlighted and how can we work to decrease disparities?

• T6. Black women are more likely to get uterine sarcomas, compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Sarcomas tend to be more aggressive than endometrial carcinoma. But advocates can't seem to get any help in outreach. 
• T6 Social Determinants, Not Biology: Time to Reappraise Genetics-Based Theories of Racial/Ethnic Cancer Outcome Disparities #ASCO21 #gyncsm Dr Ford: Biological Association of obesity and cancer. SC case I-95 corridor case study most residents are black, > poverty> Cancer rates
• The first step is admitting that there is a problem which is why I was so glad to see inequities highlighted. We can ask questions of our healthcare systems, and advocate for our healthcare boardrooms to look like the waiting room... 

T7: 

For remaining time, please feel free to ask questions about or highlight other recent research you find of interest. What studies are on the horizon? What areas would you like to see more research?

• T7: cancer treatment is very expensive. Are there any resources available for those who want to partake in a clinical trial out of state & cannot afford the “room & board” expense? 
• People need to include #RareCancers in their discussions of #inequity. In gyn #sarcoma, we have less money for research, fewer experts, and less patient support.
• t7: the research regarding early detection not improving survival is disheartening. I was under the impression that when it is caught early, you have a better chance of long term survival?!
• I’d like to see more Data related to helping patients access trials outside their cancer center.

Note there will be no #gyncsm chat in July. Save the date for our next chat Wed, Aug 11, 2021 at 8pmET (new time for 2021) when we’ll discuss “Cancer Myths”.

Have a wonderful July!

Dee and Christina

Resources:

Media articles written on research discussed at #SGOmtg  https://157slyoyo4y17zpa538hczs1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Social-Media-SGO2021-Coverage-List.pdf

Overview of SGO meeting by @Stigetta and @KathleenMaxian https://ocrahope.org/2021/05/highlights-2021-virtual-annual-meeting-of-sgo/

 

SGO Abstracts https://www.sgo.org/events/annual-meeting/sessions-abstract-titles/

ASCO Abstracts https://conferences.asco.org/am/abstracts 

 

Overview of AACR meeting https://ocrahope.org/2021/05/highlights-2021-virtual-annual-meeting-aacr/

Adjuvant Chemotherapy Fails to Improve PFS and OS in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer https://www.onclive.com/view/adjuvant-chemotherapy-fails-to-improve-pfs-and-os-in-locally-advanced-cervical-cancer

 

Oncology Nursing Society https://www.ons.org/

Patient Advocate Foundation https://www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/financial-aid-funds/

Gyn Cancer Research News - #SGOmtg - #ASCO21

 

It is our pleasure to once again share with our community the latest gyn cancer research news from the SGO Annual Meeting (#SGOmtg) and the ASCO Annual Meeting (#ASCO21). SGO is the Society for Gynecologic Oncology and ASCO is the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Both of their annual meetings were once again held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On June 9, 2021 at 8pm ET (7pm CT, 5PM PT), we invite you to join us as we review some of the latest research and discussions related to gynecologic cancer screening, treatment and research.  We may touch upon secondary surgery, PARP inhibitors, immunotherapy, rare ovarian cancer treatments, early detection and trials with negative results. Each annual meeting has/had several sessions on disparities in the treatment of gyn cancer which we will include in our topic questions. 

We will use these topic questions to guide our discussion

T1: 

What #SGOMtg presentations did you personally find of most interest?

Anything practice-changing to note?

T2: 

There was a session at #SGOmtg entitled "Time to Return to the Drawing Board: Learning From Negative Trials." 

What are "negative" trials and what are some key take-aways?   

T3: 

Which #ASCO21 studies do you think may be of most interest to patients?

T4: 

What are some of the "hot topics" in gynecologic cancer research currently ( PARPs, cytoreductive surgery, immunotherapy, other)? What is still up for debate that patients/survivors/advocates should be aware of?

T5:

Are there recent studies surrounding palliative care, survivorship, and psychosocial research that could help gyn cancer survivors? 

T6: 

Both #ASCO21 and #SGOmtg held sessions on disparities in gynecologic cancer care. What was highlighted and how can we work to decrease disparities?

T7: 

For remaining time, please feel free to ask questions about or highlight other recent research you find of interest. What studies are on the horizon? What areas would you like to see more research?

We look forward to having you join us. 

Dee and Christina

Co-founders #gyncsm Twitter Community