OncLive® On Air

In today’s OncClub episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Shailee S. Shah, MD, about a retrospective study she and colleagues conducted to understand the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on patients with cancer and pre-existing neurologic autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and Parkinson's disease. Dr Shah is a clinical assistant professor of neurology (MS/neuroimmunology) at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.  In our exclusive interview, Dr Shah discussed the design of this study, key findings, and how these results emphasize the need for multidisciplinary care and risk stratification for more effective and comprehensive patient care.  Check out the full OncClub subseries to see additional findings and insights from this research!

In this discussion, Dr. Martin F. Dietrich, a medical oncologist and assistant professor, dives into the significance of HER2 and MET immunohistochemistry testing for non-small cell lung cancer patients. He outlines the rationale for testing and the challenges oncologists face in implementing these guidelines. The conversation highlights the importance of retesting as patients progress, the potential of novel therapies, and the need for standardized workflows to improve patient outcomes in oncology.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Connie Lai, MD, a medical oncology resident at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong, about a retrospective, dual-center study examining post-induction treatment strategies in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

In today’s OncClub episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Branden Moriarity, PhD; and Beau Webber, PhD, about a study evaluating neoantigen-reactive CISH knockout tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancers. Dr Moriarity is an associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, co-director of the Center for Genome Engineering and the Genome Engineering Shared Resource (GESR), and a member of the Center for Genome Engineering at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he is also a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics; the Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology (MICaB) PhD Graduate Program; the PhD Program in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics; the Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB) Graduate Program, and the Masters Program in Stem Cell Biology. He is also a member of the Stem Cell Institute at the Masonic Cancer Center. Dr Webber is an associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, co-director of the GESR, and a member of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he is also a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics, the Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics Graduate Program, and the Masters Program in Stem Cell Biology. He is also a member of the Masonic Cancer Center. In our exclusive interview, Drs Moriarity and Webber discussed how targeting the CISH gene using CRISPR enhances T-cell function, key safety and efficacy findings from this study in 12 patients, and future research efforts that may focus on reducing manufacturing time and cost, as well as enhancing T-cell resilience. Check out the full OncClub subseries to see additional findings and insights from this research!

In this discussion, Dr. Joshua K. Sabari, an expert in lung cancer at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, dives into the promising new treatment, telisotuzumab vedotin, for c-Met overexpressing NSCLC. He highlights significant results from the phase 2 LUMINOSITY study and discusses how this therapy could shift the treatment landscape. Dr. Sabari also addresses ongoing trials that may redefine patient management, emphasizing the importance of balancing efficacy with the careful monitoring of potential toxicities.

Cancer, Character, and Calling: The Oncologist's Journey, hosted by Girindra Raval, MD, is a podcast highlighting how top oncologists have navigated the field over the course of their careers, the passion that drove them to enter the oncology space, and the ongoing work that will continue to transform cancer care. Each episode, Raval will welcome a top oncologist to dive into their background, highlight their career achievements, discuss key issues still being addressed in their fields, and explore their interests outside of the clinic and lab. In this episode, Raval welcomed Jorge Cortes, MD, who is director of the Georgia Cancer Center and a professor in the Department of Medicine at Augusta University. Raval is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine: Hematology and Oncology at the Medical College of Georgia of Augusta University. In their conversation, Raval and Cortes dived into Cortes’ upbringing in Mexico, his family life, and his experience earning his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. They also spoke about Cortes’ work during his 27-year tenure at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he served as a professor of medicine, deputy department chair, chair of the acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia sections, and deputy division chair, among other roles. Cortes detailed how that experience facilitated long-lasting collaborations and friendships. He then touched on his goals as director of the Georgia Cancer Center since taking over the role in 2019 and explained how it felt to leave MD Anderson after nearly 3 decades. Raval and Cortes also discussed how the hematologic oncology field has evolved during Cortes’ career and how he expects the management of these malignancies as ongoing research continues. Cortes also highlighted his goals as director of the Georgia Cancer Center. 

In our exclusive interview, Drs Leleu and Faiman discussed the unique methods and design of IRAKLIA, key efficacy and safety findings from this trial, and the benefits of using on-body delivery systems to deliver effective therapies to patients in more convenient and patient-centered ways. 

In today’s episode, we had the opportunity to speak with Arndt Vogel, MD, about the European Commission’s (EC's) July 2025 marketing authorization of zanidatamab-hrii (Ziihera) for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive biliary tract cancer. Dr Vogel is a faculty member at the University of Toronto Institute of Medical Science, a scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, and a medical oncologist at the UHN–Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Canada. In our exclusive interview, Dr Vogel highlighted the clinical importance of this decision, emphasizing that it represents a significant advancement for a molecularly defined subgroup of patients with limited treatment options and historically poor outcomes. He explained that biliary tract cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma, are associated with high recurrence rates and poor survival, even in patients who undergo curative-intent surgery. For patients in the advanced setting, second-line chemotherapy offers modest clinical benefit, with objective response rates of approximately 6%, a median progression-free survival of approximately 3 months, and a median overall survival of approximately 12 months. Vogel discussed the data supporting the EC’s approval, which was based on findings from the phase 2b HERIZON-BTC-01 trial (NCT04466891)—the largest study conducted to date evaluating HER2-directed therapy in this patient population. In the trial, at a median follow-up of 21.9 months, patients with centrally confirmed HER2-positive tumors (n = 80) who received zanidatamab achieved a confirmed objective response rate (cORR) of 41.3% (95% CI, 30.4-52.8). The median duration of response was 14.9 months (95% CI, 7.4-not reached), and the median overall survival reached 15.5 months (95% CI, 10.4-18.5).

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jonathan M. Gerber, MD; and Shyam A. Patel, MD, PhD, about a study they conducted investigating the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a biomarker for early TP53 mutation identification in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Dr Gerber is a member of the faculty in the Department of Medicine at New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine; as well as the chief clinical officer of the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center. Dr Patel is an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School; as well as a hematologist and oncologist at the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.  In our exclusive interview, Drs Gerber and Patel discussed the evaluation of p53 IHC as a surrogate biomarker for TP53-mutant MDS and AML. They shared how the presence of TP53 mutations in these diseases significantly worsens prognosis, necessitating urgent treatment. They also highlighted how IHC results are available within 48 to 72 hours. Gerber and Patel explained this study's design and patient population, as well as how IHC's inverse correlation with overall survival highlights its potential as an early biomarker, though it has lower sensitivity for certain mutations.

In today’s episode, we had the opportunity to speak with Henry M. Kuerer, MD, PhD, FACS, CMQ, about the potential to safely omit surgery in a subset of patients with early-stage HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer who achieve a pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant systemic therapy. Dr Kuerer is a professor of breast surgical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. In our conversation, Dr Kuerer reviewed the rationale behind a prospective phase 2 clinical trial (NCT02945579) testing image-guided vacuum-assisted core biopsy to identify patients with no residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy. He outlined the strict technical and eligibility criteria that enabled accurate detection of pCR—including tumors downsizing to less than 2 cm and biopsy of at least 12 cores from the tumor bed—and discussed why this biopsy-based approach may be more reliable than standard surgery in detecting residual disease. He also highlighted the broader clinical implications of the findings, noting that patients with biopsy-confirmed pCR may proceed directly to radiotherapy and avoid breast surgery altogether.