|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Highlights from the 2022 Bladder Cancer Think Tank
|
|
|
|
|
| Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Announces Groundbreaking Clinical Trial Research Award to Transform Bladder Cancer Care
|
|
|
| Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, (BCAN), announced its first-ever Translational Clinical Trial Award (TCTA) to support patient-oriented research to transform bladder cancer care. The award will provide a maximum of $3 million in funding over 36 months bringing a renewed sense of urgency to help bladder cancer patients and families. It is designed to spark changes to the standard of care in bladder cancer, decrease overtreatment, and significantly impact patient outcomes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Patient Voice Panel - Bladder Cancer |
| Diane Zipursky Quale, Damon Thomas, John Lacey, and Margo Wickersham |
| An annual tradition started at the inaugural Think Tank in 2006 - bladder cancer survivors are invited annually to share their stories in an effort to bridge the gap between bladder cancer providers and their patients with regards to treatment goals, counseling, and survivorship. In lieu of a keynote address at the 2022 Think Thank, the meeting kicked off with a compelling Patient Voice Panel. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
BCAN Research Presentations Young Investigator Awardees
|
|
| Gender-Specific Stratification of Survival Following Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Based on Intratumoral Expression of a B Cell Gene Signature
|
| Burles A. (Rusty) Johnson, III, MD, Ph.D.
|
| In this presentation, Rusty Johnson, Medical Oncology Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, and recipient of the 2020 BCAN Young Investigator Award, discusses his research focused on the role of intratumoral B cell signatures on response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. These findings were recently published in European Urology Oncology (2022) and have the possibility of identifying responders to systemic ICI therapy, and potentially inform the need for treatment alternatives and/or therapeutic intensification in inherent non-responders.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NRF2 Activation Promotes a Basal-Like Phenotype but a Fitness Disadvantage in Normal Urothelium
|
| Yuki Kita, MD, Ph.D.
|
| Yuki Kita, MD, Ph.D., Medical Oncology Fellow at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC was the recipient of the 2020 BCAN Young Investigator Award for his research focused on the role of NRF2 in bladder urothelial differentiation. NRF2 is a tumor suppressor through cellular regulation of oxidative stress- detoxifying ROS, drugs and toxins. Activating mutations in NRF2 are common in bladder cancer, present in 7% of TCGA tumors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patient Centered Clinical Young Investigator Awardees
|
|
| Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation: A Survey of Bladder Cancer Patient and Provider Perspectives on How to Quit
|
| Matthew Mossanen, MD, MPH
|
| Matthew Mossanen, urologic oncologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, discusses his research which focused on smoking cessation in bladder cancer patients. The aim of this study was to (1) increase the understanding of patient and provider perspectives regarding smoking cessation and (2) design an intervention for providers to promote smoking cessation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sexual Function in Women Undergoing Radical Cystectomy
|
| Svetlana Avulova, MD
|
| Svetlana Avulova discusses her research focused on characterizing sexual function in females undergoing radical cystectomy. Post-operative sexual function is important to most patients, but the vast majority do not receive pre-operative counseling on sexual dysfunction from their urologists. Due to small patient numbers having completed the 12-month survey in this interim analysis, no meaningful conclusions could be made regarding predictors of post-operative sexual recovery, and we eagerly await these results as the data matures.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BCAN Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Awards
|
|
| Targeting Urothelial Basal Cells in Transdifferentiation and Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
|
| Kris Prado, MD
|
| Philip Beachy, Ph.D. was awarded the 2019 BCAN Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award for his work on targeted transdifferentiation of the bladder urothelium. This work was presented by his college, Kris Prado, MD, a urologic oncologist also at Stanford University. The functional significance of EGFR inhibition with erlotinib in this basalization reversal phenomenon remains unclear. However, the authors provide compelling proof of concept that urothelial stem cells can be engineered with a minimal set of transcription factors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Defining and Testing Novel Immunotherapy Combinations for NMIBC
|
| David Knorr, MD, Ph.D.
|
| Jeffrey Ravetch, Professor of Immunology, Virology, and Microbiology at Rockefeller University in New York, NY was awarded the 2020 BCAN Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award. His work was presented by Dr. David Knorr, MD, Ph.D., a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. CD40 agonism is currently being studied in combination with IL-15 to induce augmented anti-tumor immunogenicity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Breakout Discussion Session
|
|
| Exposures to Environmental Contaminants as Important Risk Factors for Bladder Cancer: Existing Knowledge and Future Research Needs
|
| Joshua Meeks, MD, Ph.D., Carsten Prasse, Ph.D., MS, Stella Koutros, Ph.D., MPH, Molly Jacobs, MPH, and Sunil Patel, MD
|
| Joshua Meeks, and Carsten Prasse co-chaired a breakout session dedicated to the role of environmental contaminants in bladder cancer pathogenesis. They were joined by discussion leaders Stella Koutros, from the National Cancer Institute, Molly Jacobs, MPH from the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, and Dr. Sunil Patel, MD, a urologic oncologist from the Brady Urologic Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
