Researchers Offer New Direction for Strengthening Immunotherapies and
Recommend Guideline Changes for Dosing and Delivery of Combination Treatments
NEW YORK (September 26, 2016) – Members of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s NCI–designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center will present new study findings at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) that will advance treatment of pancreatic and anal cancers. Researchers will also lead a discussion about implementing a cost efficient workflow for treatment of the most advanced forms of throat cancer. These are some of the highlights at ASTRO 2016, which is taking place at the Boston Convention Center from September 25-28.
“For too long people with pancreatic cancer have faced poor prognoses, with immunotherapies offering little hope,” said Shalom Kalnicki, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore-Einstein. “By combining radiation therapy and immunotherapy we have obtained promising results that indicate that we can change how the body reacts to cancer cells and that we have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapies in fighting diseases that are difficult to treat. We are excited about this progress, which we believe represents the future of effective cancer therapies. We look forward to sharing these findings and presenting new recommendations for effectively treating several cancers.”
Following are the oral presentations Montefiore-Einstein investigators will deliver at the meeting, which are embargoed until the time of presentation. Additionally, Dr. Kalnicki will be one of ten individuals honored with the ASTRO Fellows designation for his significant contributions to the field of radiation oncology and improving patient outcomes.
Investigators are available for interviews specific to their presentation or to comment on other reports of interest at ASTRO 2016.
1. Epigenetic Priming and High-Dose Radiation for Enhanced Immune Response in Pancreatic Cancer – Presented by Kartik Mani, M.D., Ph.D., chief resident, Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care. Tuesday, September 27 at 2:55pm. Biology Track – Room #257 A/B – Presentation 196.
2. Radiation Therapy Compliance/Quality Assurance (QA) in Two Phase II Trials of Cetuximab Plus Combined Modality Therapy (CMT) including Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy (RT) for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Cancer (SCCAC) in Patients with (AMC045) – Presented by Madhur Garg, M.D., clinical director, Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and professor of clinical radiation oncology at Einstein. Tuesday, September 27 at 5:15pm. Gastrointestinal Track – Room #160 A/B/C – Presentation 239
3. Patterns of Failure and Origin of Recurrence on PET/CT for Laryngeal Cancer Patients Treated with Definitive IMRT– Discussion led by Rafi Kabarriti, M.D., attending physician, Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and assistant professor of radiation oncology at Einstein. Wednesday, September 28 at 11:00am. Physics Track – Room #052 B – Presentation 1135.