Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind

Today, Michael and Josh approach a singular destiny to present their take on Metastatic Breast Cancer at ASCO 2024. Long has Breast Cancer been one of the most diagnosed cancers globally; these days, it leads the herd with effective treatment options and paradigm shifts that benefit millions of people on a massive scale. With CDK4/6 inhibitors, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates, the arsen...

Day 3 of Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind's ASCO Odyssey and our hosts show no sign of flagging under this immense pressure, although Josh has started to give up on his famous segues. In this episode, our intrepid hosts tackle gynaecological cancers, reporting on four of their favourite studies from a packed field of gynaecological cancers. Will new treatment options for cervical cancer emerge? W...

As the sun rises on another day at ASCO, Michael and Josh are ready to hit the ground running to bring you the latest and greatest in all things oncology in Chicago has to offer. No greek mythology today, only a burning desire to bring you the biggest melanoma trials from ASCO24. Today, they pack a punch, tackling some intriguing phase 1 trials with tongue-twisting names where the novelty wears of...

"Tell me, Muse, the story of that resourceful man who was driven to wander far and wide after he had sacked Troy. He saw the cities of many people and he learnt their ways. Tell us this story, goddess daughter of Zeus, beginning at whatever point you will." So begins Homer's epic The Odyssey , the story of the titular hero Odysseus' long, long, LONG journey from the ruins of Troy to his home of It...

With ASCO upon us, Michael and Josh squeeze one more episode of their regular schedule to bring you an important update on gastric cancer. For context, the 5 year survival rate for metastatic gastric cancer is 6%, similar to that of pancreatic cancer. Despite improvement in survival due to the addition of nivolumab to chemotherapy (Checkmate 64), few therapies have significantly changed it's overa...

Oncology research never sits still, nor does the desire for better treatment options for metastatic colorectal cancer. Fifty percent of diagnosed cases develop metastatic spread during their disease course. This week, we look for the "SUNLIGHT" and investigate the combination of Lonsurf with Bevacizumab and using Fruquintinib with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. Links to articles discusse...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer in the world and the third or fourth leading cause of death (depending on where you do your research). Over 70% of cases are in Asian countries, predominantly due to high rates of endemic hepatitis infections. This week, we climb a mountain in search of treatment options and advancements in this orphan cancer. Two trials are discuss...

In many parts of the world, Bevacizumab is an important component of the treatment of glioblastoma, colorectal, hepatocellular and ovarian cancers. However, with such widespread use inevitably comes toxicity. Side effects related to bevacizumab are not your garden-variety chemotherapy side effects, nor are they similar to toxicity from immunotherapy. Rather, they stand apart, unique amongst our sy...

As many philosophers have noted, life often travels in cycles. Almost two years and more than 100 episodes ago, on a virtual call far far away, two young oncologists started on a journey to bring the latest oncology evidence to anyone with ears and the will to listen. Now, for episode number 101, Josh and Michael return to where it all started: prostate cancer. Much has changed in the (nearly) two...

For 100 episodes, Josh and Michael have brought to your ears the latest and greatest in oncology research and treatment. In this episode, we will take a trip down memory lane, speaking about our journey up to this point, our favourite guests and favourite trials, and give you a glimpse of what the future holds for Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind. If we're honest, we never expected to get this fa...

In this episode, Josh and Michael examine the rapidly developing world of early lung cancer treatment. An area that will hopefully only grow in importance, treatment for early NSCLC is becoming ever more sophisticated, with recent developments in neoadjuvant management and confirmation of the benefit of adjuvant driver-mutation inhibitior treatment. Today's articles cover two such topics: will osi...

On this very special episode, Josh and Michael welcome Dr Adam Brufsky, a trailblazer in the world of breast cancer treatment and a titan in the frenetic development of breast cancer therapies since the mid-late 90s. Dr Brufsky is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Chief of the university's Division of Haematology and Oncology and co-director of its Compreh...

On today's blessedly brief episode, Josh and Michael give an overview of one of the greatest challenges for any practicing oncologist: the conundrum of cancer in young people. In recent decades, the number and proportion of young patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer has skyrocketed. This trend has been noted in news outlets across the world, reported in sources as disparate as the New York Ti...

IN BREAKING NEWS... Or not really, as we are a bit late to the party. But in honour of liposomal irinotecan's recent approval by the Federal Drugs Administration, we thought we would take another look at the NAPOLI-3 trial. The first potentially practice-changing update to the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer arguably in more than a decade, the combination of liposomal irinotecan with 5-flu...

It is a tale as old as time, as old as the stars, the heavens and human consciousness itself. Okay, we're exaggerating a bit, but for as long as pharmacology and capitalism have been joined at the hip, the question of "which drug is best" has been at or near the forefront of medical decision-making. With the development of standardised clinical trials and the difficulty of conducting direct head-t...

In this episode, Michael and Josh welcome a very special guest: Michael's Labrador Beans. Beans is a world-renowned expert in eating snacks, but unfortunately, had very little to offer on their topic today: the treatment of progressive or recurrent cutaneous melanoma with primary and secondary resistance to immunotherapy. So, unfortunately, the discussion was left to your regular hosts. For approx...

While Josh and Michael enjoy a good rambling, meandering podcast as much as the next guy, we made a promise to keep our coverage of the ASCO GU 2024 conference short and sweet. So, as promised, here is the second - and final - episode of our miniseries. For a change of pace, one of our studies involves the adjuvant use of immunotherapy! Specifically, AMBASSADOR looks at pembrolizumab in patients w...

With Josh's Grand Adventure(TM) now in the books, he and Michael return to their usual programming, examining two studies presented at the not-so-recent ASCO GU conference in San Fransisco. While the conference took place in January of this year, as the old adage goes: better late than never. In this episode, our hosts examine two studies; the CONTACT-02 study examining a combination of immunother...

In this episode, Josh interviews the man who helped make this grand adventure possible, his mentor, Professor Elgene Lim of the Kinghorn Cancer Centre in Sydney. Professor Lim is a medical oncologist specialising in breast cancer research. He has previously worked at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, completing his PhD under the mentorship of Dr Geoffrey Lindeman and Dr Jane Visvader with resea...

In this episode, Josh interviews Dr Robert Mayer, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, former director of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Oncology Fellowship Program for 36 years and an expert in gastrointestinal cancer. He founded the Centre for Gastrointestinal Oncology at Dana Farber and has previously chaired the Gastrointestinal Cancer Committee of the Cancer and Leukemia Group...

In this episode, Josh interviewed Dr Ann Partridge, the director of the adult survivorship program at the Dana-Farber Institute. She is the co-founder and director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer and is passionate about communication, risk perception and behavioural aspects of cancer care. Dr Partridge is the principal investigator for the Young Women’s Breast Cancer study, which...

In this episode, Josh interviews Dr Harold Burstein. A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, Dr Burstein’s initial PhD was in cellular immunology. After receiving his oncology fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, he joined the staff in 1999. Hal has a particular interest in breast cancer and has participated in national and international clinical trials while also w...

Today, on this mid-week special, Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind is delighted to welcome Dr. Jeff Jones, a haematologist, oncologist and the Chief Medical Officer of Cullinan Oncology. Biotech companies are at the forefront of novel drug development, and it is fascinating to take a look behind the curtain and glimpse a small part of how targets are chosen and developed. This includes areas of un...

We return to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute this week as part of our "On the Road" series and interview the multitalented Dr. Geoffrey Shapiro. Dr Shapiro completed his medical training at Cornell University and received his PhD in 1987. His passions lie in early-phase drug development and clinical trials, with a specific flair for cell cycle and DNA repair inhibitor therapeutics. Dr. Shapiro pr...

Today, we interview Dr. Eric Winer, our second guest in our mini-series "On the Road". Dr Winer is no ordinary Oncologist; he is a prolific clinician and researcher, despite being born with haemophilia and living with the consequences of early treatment for this, including HIV. In this episode, OFTIM explores his formative years, challenges and triumphs as he provides unique insights as both a pat...