Inspiring Stories Emerge From the Giants of Cancer Care Initiative

OncLive Chairman,

Mike Hennessy

As summer comes to a close, I want to turn your attention to the upcoming 34th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium: Innovative Cancer Therapy for Tomorrow®, which takes place in New York City, November 9-11, 2016. We will be introducing the recipients of the 2016 Giants of Cancer Care®, an award bestowed to honor the tireless efforts of oncology specialists who have dedicated their careers to saving, prolonging, caring for, and improving the lives of the patients affected by this disease.

During the symposium, 10 new Giants will be revealed in breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, genitourinary cancer, hematologic cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, radiation oncology, scientific advances, surgical oncology, and community outreach. We will also be kicking off the 2017 Giants of Cancer Care initiative during the symposium and we look to our readers for their thoughtful nominations for the next class of Giants.

To get you into the Giants mindset, we highlight the career of Patrick Walsh, MD, who dedicated his life to improving the surgical techniques of radical prostatectomy to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with the surgery. His work conducted at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University refined radical prostatectomy and transformed the procedure into a safe, effective, and tolerable surgery, one that has not only extended countless lives, but has also preserved quality of life. If you are feeling the need to be inspired, I cannot emphasize more this Giant’s story.

In other features, the pharmacokinetic benefits of abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide are weighed in, “Second-Line Therapies for mCRPC Complicated by Drug Interactions and Dosing Issues.” Writer John Otrompke highlights the findings from a study published in Clinical Pharmacokinetics, which heightens clinical awareness of the potential for both under-treatment and overtreatment with abiraterone acetate, as well as potential drug-drug interactions that accompany both agents.

These agents represent a much-needed line of treatment options for patients with advanced disease. Yet, neither is a cure. Although the paper did not provide a definitive answer about superiority, the authors’ results do suggest the next focus of ongoing research: identifying the appropriate sequence and finding the right phenotype of the patient to respond to treatment.

Our Conference Coverage section highlights presentations made at the 2016 State of the Science Summit—Genitourinary Cancer. The meeting brought together community- and academic-based physicians and healthcare professionals across key disciplines in medical and surgical oncology. It has become readily apparent that the treatment landscape for genitourinary malignancies is undergoing a rapid change with emerging immunotherapies making a significant impact in urothelial and bladder cancer.

Our Practice Profile feature in this issue highlights the large urology group Rio Grande Urology, based in El Paso, Texas. The group is excited about its newest collaboration with a gynecologic oncologist and the therapeutic options that it can offer to patients. Viability and physician collaboration is emphasized under the leadership of Jeffrey M. Spier, MD. He believes that integrative urologic group practices should serve as the model for other subspecialties because “when physicians come together and share their experiences and successes, the patient ultimately benefits.”

We look forward to receiving your feedback and comments on the topics covered in this issue and any topics that you would like addressed in future editions.

Happy reading!