The development of oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) represents substantial progress for patients with metastatic breast cancer who have ESR1 mutations. “I’m extremely excited because they’re the most effective form of endocrine therapy today,” says Wassim Mchayleh, MD, MBA, the clinical program director of the breast cancer program at AdventHealth Cancer Institute and associate professor of medicine at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He spoke with Robert A. Figlin...
Jul 15, 2025•11 min•Ep. 14
From a “game-changer” in triple-negative disease to broader paradigm shifts and practice changes, the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was pivotal for breast cancer care, says Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH , chief of the Division of Breast Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Tolaney broke down some of the top data at ASCO 2025 with Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, Californi...
Jul 14, 2025•11 min•Ep. 12
Results from the phase 3 ATOMIC trial are practice changing for colorectal cancer care and raise broader questions about immunotherapy use in patients with mismatch repair deficiencies across tumor types. Frank A. Sinicrope, MD , a professor of oncology and medicine at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota, presented the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting . He discussed the significance of the ATOMIC results and next steps with...
Jul 11, 2025•11 min•Ep. 11
“An increasingly unrealistic set of performance expectations” is putting a strain on oncologist faculty members, says Clifford Hudis, MD, CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He discussed the mounting challenges for academic cancer physicians and how ASCO is working to address them with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Hudis explained that academic oncologists are exp...
Jul 08, 2025•9 min•Ep. 13
“For the first 15 years of my career, we had nothing new” in bladder cancer care, said Jonathan E. Rosenberg, MD , chief of the genitourinary oncology service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Now, “the pace of change has been dizzying,” he told Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Speaking at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting , Dr. Rosenber...
Jul 07, 2025•12 min•Ep. 10
Findings from the SERENA-6 trial , which examined switching therapies in patients with breast cancer ahead of disease progression, made headlines during the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting . However, big questions remain. “I don’t know for sure if the approach is practice changing yet. I think the approach is practice confounding,” said Stephanie Graff, MD , director of breast oncology at Brown University Health Cancer Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Graff discu...
Jul 03, 2025•12 min•Ep. 9
From digitizing its guidelines to potential embedding them in EMRs, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is working to “make the workflow easier and better” for oncologists, Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, FACP, CEO of the NCCN, told Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Dr. Denlinger broke down the organization’s c...
Jul 01, 2025•12 min•Ep. 8
“Is it time to do something big and different? That’s always a good question to ask,” said W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC , the immediate former director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the current CEO of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting , Dr. Rathmell spoke with Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, ...
Jun 24, 2025•13 min•Ep. 5
A late-breaking abstract presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting ( LBA3 ) showed that rusfertide significantly increased hematocrit control and improved symptoms for patients with polycythemia vera, a chronic leukemia. “We thought if we could use our understanding of iron regulation, then we could change the game a little bit,” said Andrew Kuykendall, MD , assistant member in the Department of Malignant Hematology at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida....
Jun 20, 2025•7 min•Ep. 4
When it comes to building support for cancer research in the current environment, “the message that we have had in our field is a good one. But we may need to craft a better message,” says Robert A. Winn, MD, director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center in Richmond. Dr. Winn lays out a strategy designed to show the American public the benefits in oncology already yielded from previous investments in science, alongside what can be done if supp...
Jun 18, 2025•12 min•Ep. 3
The addition of perioperative durvalumab in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer improved event-free survival, according to findings from the MATTERHORN study. “This trial will be an important milestone,” said Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, chief of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, who presented the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. She spoke with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director...
Jun 17, 2025•10 min•Ep. 2
Data from the SERENA-6 trial, presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, have the potential to dramatically change advanced estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer care, says William J Gradishar, MD, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. The study showed benefit in switching therapies based on circulating tumor DNA evidence of ESR1 mutation, ahead of disease progression. “...
Jun 12, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded shortly before the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting . Big questions associated with ESR1 mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer may soon have answers. New data are “going to take the whole breast oncology field from one place and put it in a different place. It’s going to be an inflection point in our history of treating breast cancer,” says Jason Aboudi Mouabbi, MD , assistant professor in the Depart...
May 29, 2025•10 min
The approach to ESR1 and PIK3CA mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer continues to evolve. What role does circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) play in treatment decisions? How should oncologists best approach patients with PIK3CA mutations who subsequently develop ESR1 mutations? VK Gadi, MD, PhD , professor and director of medical oncology and deputy director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago, discusses with Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interi...
May 06, 2025•10 min
The last few years have seen “a remarkable change in both our approach and management of EGFR lung cancer,” says Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD , division head for hematology/oncology and associate director of Patient Experience and Clinical Care at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute in Detroit. He discusses key considerations for managing EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer with Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer ...
Apr 21, 2025•13 min
When it comes to tackling fertility issues associated with cancer, “oncology clinicians are often reluctant to talk about this because it is really not our wheelhouse,” says Alison Wakoff Loren, MD, MSCE , chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, director of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, and the C. Willard Robinson Professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Loren and colleagues recently updated American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines for fertili...
Apr 17, 2025•10 min
“Second-line [estrogen receptor (ER)]-positive breast cancer has just become very complicated,” says Erika P. Hamilton, MD , the director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She discusses the role of ESR1 mutations in selecting appropriate treatments and combination regimens for patients with ER-positive breast cancer who have disease progression with Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, a...
Apr 15, 2025•15 min
Burnout among oncologists is a serious concern , and artificial intelligence (AI) represents a potential solution, says Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA , a practicing oncologist and breast cancer specialist in Austin, Texas, who also serves as the chair of the AI task force for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Technological advances are poised to improve cancer care while reducing the documentation burden for oncologists, she tells Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director of Cedars-Sinai C...
Apr 07, 2025•15 min
The standard approach of “7 + 3” chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment has been in place for 50 years. But that may soon change, says Maximilian Stahl, MD , a member of the Adult Leukemia Group at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the faculty at Harvard University. “My prediction is that in 10 years, you will not see much 7 + 3 anymore. Maybe not even 10 years, maybe five years,” he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD , the interim director and Steven Spielberg F...
Mar 31, 2025•10 min
Oncologist burnout and career dissatisfaction are a “huge problem,” says Robin T. Zon, MD, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Zon sits down with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, to discuss revelations from a recent ASCO report. “ASCO recognizes that if, in fact, we are going to accomplish our mission, we have to pay very close attention to what is happening to the workf...
Feb 27, 2025•15 min
When it comes to end-of-life care for patients with cancer, “I think that there is a real deficit in our training,” says Nathan I. Cherny, MD, director of the Cancer Pain and Palliative Medicine Service at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Cherney and colleagues recently examined factors contributing to oncologists overtreating patients at the end of life. He discusses key findings and ways to address this continued problem with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Fami...
Jan 29, 2025•11 min
Recent advances in hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer have led to questions about the timing of genetic testing and the optimal treatment choices for patients. “I, like many others, have changed my personal practice,” says Azka Ali, MD, a medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute in Ohio. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss what new...
Dec 16, 2024•11 min
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force recently released recommendations intended to reduce burnout in oncology worldwide. One of the task force’s members, Konstantinos Kamposioras, MD, PhD, a consultant in medical oncology at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester in the United Kingdom, explains to Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, how those recommendations came to...
Nov 13, 2024•11 min
When it comes to the treatment of EGFR-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), osimertinib (Tagrisso) is an “old friend,” says Kamya Sankar, MD, assistant professor and co–medical director of the Thoracic Disease Research Group at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Recent approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have introduced several “new friends,” in the form of amivantamab (Rybrevant) and lazertinib (Lazcluze). Dr. Sankar talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the ...
Nov 08, 2024•13 min
“Cancer clinical research has been largely privatized,” explains Joseph Unger, PhD, MS, associate professor in the cancer prevention program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Dr. Unger and colleagues recently assessed patient enrollment in industry-sponsored and federally sponsored clinical trials. They found an 8:1 ratio favoring participation in research backed by industry. This raises significant concerns, he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hema...
Nov 04, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Treatment approaches for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer have rapidly evolved, thanks in part to data from three key studies. Erin Frances Cobain, MD , associate professor at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, explains how findings from the KEYNOTE-756 , monarchE , and NATALEE clinical trials are influencing decision-making for these patients. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncolog...
Oct 28, 2024•13 min
Approvals of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for metastatic breast cancer have introduced complex questions about HER2 expression. “It’s certainly been a changing landscape, which has been confusing for all of us,” explains Ian Krop, MD, PhD , director of the clinical trials office, chief clinical research officer, and associate director for clinical sciences at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut. He and Robert A. Figlin, MD , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at...
Oct 21, 2024•14 min
Newly approved targeted therapies for patients with advanced hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer are changing care. “We have an abundance of opportunities, but challenges with having to choose the right opportunity at the right time,” says Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Figlin discusses how to navigate new options with Manali Bhave, MD, a breast medical oncologist and ass...
Sep 27, 2024•11 min
Data on the use of durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy transformed the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). “This is a real practice-changing observation from the PACIFIC trial,” said Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He recently spoke with Meghan Mooradian, MD, an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, about her team’s recent research as...
Aug 29, 2024•11 min
Results of the phase 3 LAURA clinical trial, presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, showed that osimertinib significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiotherapy. “The benefits of osimertinib in this patient population when compared to placebo are just incredibly dramatic,” noted Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncolo...
Aug 28, 2024•10 min
