Wilmot Scientists Win Awards, Give Talks, at Nation’s Largest Cancer Meeting

At the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in the coming days, Wilmot Cancer Institute physicians and scientists are presenting data and giving talks on a variety of topics — from geriatric oncology, lymphoma, pancreas and ovarian cancer, to  radiotherapy, sleep, and survivor care.

ASCOis the largest gathering of cancer specialists in the world, with more than 32,000 individuals converging on Chicago from June 1 to 5. The meeting is where the latest highly anticipated research news is shared, sometimes provoking changes in treatment options.

These are the awardees from Wilmot:

• Supriya Mohile, M.D., M.S., won ASCO’s B.J. Kennedy Award for scientific excellence in geriatric oncology. She will deliver the Kennedy lecture to a large audience on June 4, focusing on honoring the preferences of older patients with cancer and their caregivers. Mohile also will present data on improving communication with older cancer patients by using geriatric assessment tools. (See related news release.)
• Anita Peoples, Ph.D., M.P.H., a population health fellow at the Clinical & Translational Science Institute, is receiving the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO/Pain and Symptom Management Special Merit Award, for the highest ranked abstract on that topic. She discovered that among 676 breast cancer patients, having moderate-to-severe disturbed sleep prior to radiation therapy was an important predictor of radiation therapy-induced pain following treatment.
• Rachael Turner, M.D., Ph.D., an oncology fellow at Wilmot, is receiving the Conquer Cancer Foundation/Bristol-Myers Squibb Endowed Women Who Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award. She received $50,000 to continue her research into an ovarian cancer biomarker, HE4, and its impact on the cells and tissue surrounding the cancer, and how the knowledge can be used to develop new therapies.

Wilmot faculty scheduled give talks at ASCO:  

• Jonathan Friedberg, M.D., M.M.Sc., director of Wilmot and a worldwide lymphoma expert, has been invited to discuss how he treats relapsed follicular lymphoma at an educational session June 2.
• Michelle Janelsins, Ph.D., will discuss the trajectory and risk factors for cognitive changes in cancer patients at an education session on June 5.
• Sarah Kerns, Ph.D., M.P.H., will discuss using genetic information to predict the risk of toxicity from radiotherapy at an education session on June 3.
• Ronald Maggiore, M.D., will discuss personalizing care for frail adults with advanced lung cancer in an era of immunotherapy at an educational session on June 4.
• Luke Peppone, Ph.D., will discuss how to optimize bone health in extended cancer survivorship at an education session on June 5.
• Larissa Temple, M.D., chief of colorectal surgery, will discuss the future of a therapy known as HIPEC, which involves delivering heated chemotherapy directly into the abdomen during surgery, at an ora presentation on June 5.

 (A searchable list of all abstracts can be found here.)

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