Celebrating Women in Oncology Through Their Impactful Research and Insights

For International Women's Day, CancerNetwork highlights impactful oncology research on topics from rising health care costs to innovative treatments.

Photo credits: nenetus-stock.adobe.com

Throughout 2024, CancerNetwork® and the journal ONCOLOGY® worked to cover and publish impactful research while providing valuable insights on the cancer space. For International Women’s Day, CancerNetwork is looking back at some of the diverse research published in ONCOLOGY, as well as interviews that gave a first-hand look into breaking news.

From highlighting career advancements in thoracic surgery, to walking through a clinical quandary on testicular cancer after late relapse and even discussing adverse effect (AE) management guidelines for multiple myeloma, these key opinion leaders have each shared their own insights and experience on how to create impactful change in the oncology space.

Read on to see the developments and research that may set the stage for additional analysis in the trend toward finding a cure while maintaining a patient’s quality of life.

Rising Prices and Lower Medicare Reimbursement Rates Create Outrage Among Clinicians

Written by Nora Janjan, MD, MPSA, MBA, a professor of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and health economics editorial advisory board member of ONCOLOGY, focused on how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had cut reimbursement rates for Medicare physicians. In a Hot Topics article, Janjan and her co-author highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing issues that could lead to burnout among physicians.

Janjan also related to how the praise given to health care workers during the pandemic contrasted with the health care and reimbursement cuts that were seen almost immediately after. Additionally, these cuts could lead to physicians seeing less patients, which would result in longer wait times or an inability to access care.

“Although first responders and health care providers were lauded during the pandemic, the continued cuts in Medicare reimbursement reflect how little their selfless service is valued…If physicians limit the number of Medicare patients in their practice due to fiscal restraints, physicians will be blamed. As a bonus, with mounting physician shortages, health care costs will decline as Medicare patients wait longer to see a physician,” Janjan wrote.

Evaluation and Management of Testicular Cancer After Late Relapse

In a Clinical Quandaries article written by Joanna L. Langer, MS, et al. a 41-year old man was diagnosed with contralateral late relapse of the original right nonseminomatous germ cell tumors 11 years after remission.

After explaining multiple treatment options, the authors selected systemic therapy because of the volume of involved supraclavicular lymph nodes and enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes.

“As of February 2024, the patient is recovering uneventfully from the acute toxicities of chemotherapy and is being followed by urology, oncology, and otolaryngology,” Langer, from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, wrote with co-authors.

Implementing a Multidisciplinary Lifestyle Medicine Clinic for Cancer Survivorship

For the first installment of the Breast Review Series in ONCOLOGY, Rachel A. Millstein, PhD, MHS, et al. focused on 2 patient scenarios where a multidisciplinary lifestyle clinic was used to enhance outcomes. The idea behind this clinic was to help improve survivorship and bring awareness to the importance of quality of life for these patients.

The clinic was built around the 6 lifestyle medicine pillars: physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and social support. The study mentioned that the implementation of these pillars can reduce the risk of recurrence and development of additional cancers.

“Based on guidelines from all major authoritative bodies, [lifestyle medicine] tools should be incorporated into the continuum of cancer care to improve the quality of life, physical functioning, and downstream health outcomes of cancer survivors,” Millstein, a psychologist in the Behavioral Medicine Program and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, concluded with co-authors.

The authors also spoke to CancerNetwork during an Oncology On the Go podcast episode, where they highlighted the need for more education and the hope to see more cancer centers around the country adopt this style of treatment.

Linvoseltamab Still Efficacious Despite CRL in Multiple Myeloma

In August 2024, linvoseltamab received a complete response letter (CRL) from the FDA.1 At the time, the decision was made based on an inspection of a third-party manufacturing facility and the packaging of the drug for storage and distribution. CancerNetwork spoke with Surbhi Sidana, MD, an associate professor and hematologist in the Department of Medicine, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at Stanford University School of Medicine, to discuss this decision and how it may impact the future of the drug for treatment of multiple myeloma.

During the interview, Sidana noted that the findings from the FDA inspection were not related to the results of the phase 1/2 LINKER-MM1 trial (NCT03761108), which evaluated linvoseltamab for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.2 The trial showed “unprecedented” efficacy results such as an objective response rate of 71% via an independent review committee assessment for those given 200 mg of linvoseltamab.

She believed that there was still a place for linvoseltamab in the multiple myeloma realm and was looking forward to seeing the next steps upon re-inspection of the manufacturing facility by the FDA.

General Lifestyle Recommendations for Receiving Talquetamab in Multiple Myeloma

Samantha Shenoy, MSN, NP, a nurse practitioner at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health, created a set of guidelines to help improve patient quality of life after treatment with talquetamab-tgvs (Talvey). This guidance is something she can readily provide to patients during consultations so they can be prepared for any AEs they may experience from treatment.

Shenoy has worked with her team of dietitians, dermatologists, and other health care providers at UCSF to create this list. Although it is not all-encompassing considering how new methods are consistently added, she does believe this is a step in the right direction for AE care.

During an interview with CancerNetwork, she highlighted the importance of AE education for patients and clinicians so that the former can be taken care of upon presentation.

“I feel passionately about educating patients on management of AEs so that they have a better quality of life…The toxicities are manageable for most patients with the interventions I have shared, and I encourage patients to hang in there as their symptoms/AEs will improve over time,” Shenoy concluded.

Forging a Path in Thoracic Surgery to Create a Stellar Career

Rian M. Hasson Charles, MD, MPH, FACS, vice chair for Workforce Development and Engagement in the Department of Surgery, and associate surgeon in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discussed her career path to becoming a thoracic surgeon. During the conversation with CancerNetwork, she expressed her gratitude for the mentors she had, which allowed her to grow.

Throughout her career, she has been part of landmark achievements. Some of her proudest achievements were creating a mobile lung cancer screening unit for those in the surrounding areas of Dartmouth.

While she has faced hurdles along the way—like being a Black, left-handed, female cardiothoracic surgeon—she believes that cultivating relationships, not feeling like you’re put in a box, and finding the right mentors can all lead to success.

“The world is your oyster. I encourage people to find their focus, find their passion, find the thing that keeps them up at night or that wakes them up in the morning. You can do whatever you set your mind to,” Hasson concluded.

References

1. Regeneron provides update on biologics license application for linvoseltamab. News release. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. August 20, 2024. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://tinyurl.com/2u2pvw82
2. Jagannath S, Richter J, Dhodapkar MV, et al. Linvoseltamab, a B-cell maturation antigen-targeted T-cell-engaging bispecific antibody in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, including difficult-to-treat subgroups. Cancer Res. 2024;84(suppl 7):CT001. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2024-CT001