This week Stephenson Cancer Center investigators made 24 presentations focused on cutting-edge cancer research at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. These presentations focused on the results of clinical trials and research studies for new cancer therapies being developed and evaluated at the Stephenson Cancer Center.

The ASCO annual meeting is the nation’s most anticipated and prestigious gathering for cancer physicians and scientists, attracting more than 32,000 oncology professionals from around the world.

“With more than 6,400 presentations submitted annually for consideration, ASCO is the premier oncology conference in the world,” said Robert Mannel, MD, director of the Stephenson Cancer Center. “To have 24 abstracts selected for presentation reflects the outstanding clinical research being conducted at the Stephenson Cancer Center and how our investigators are helping to move cancer medicine forward.”

These presentations involved 20 Stephenson Cancer Center investigators at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. These researchers are bringing the latest therapies to Oklahoma with novel approaches such as: using drugs to stimulate the body’s immune system to attack cancer; using antibodies to carry cancer-killing drugs directly to tumor cells to maximize the effect of the drug; and using precision medicine to analyze an individual cancer patient’s unique gene and protein signature to allow a personalized approach to fighting their cancer. Results involved several types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, uterine, head and neck, pancreatic, leukemia, skin and sarcoma.   

Several presentations focused on the results of early-phase clinical trials being conducted at the Oklahoma TSET Phase I Program. Early-phase trials provide patients with first access to the newest targeted therapies for cancer. The TSET Phase I Program at the Stephenson Cancer Center is ranked among the top 10 nationally for the number of patients participating in these cutting-edge research trials. 

Stephenson Cancer Center investigators who presented at this year’s ASCO conference were:

• Raid Aljumaily, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Adam Asch, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Megan Buechel, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OUHSC
• Kar-Ming Fung, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, OUHSC
• Sami Ibrahimi, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Hong Liu, PhD, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, OU Norman
• Robert Mannel, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OUHSC
• William H. Meyer, MD, Department of Pediatrics, OUHSC
• Seyedehnafiseh Mirniaharikandehei, PhD, Department of Electric and Computer Engineering, OU Norman
• Kathleen Moore, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OUHSC
• Katherine Moxley, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OUHSC
• Sarbajit Mukherjee, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Mohammad Razaq, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Wajeeha Razaq, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Abhishek Tripathi, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, OUHSC
• Nilesh Vasan, MD, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, OUHSC
• Sara Vesely, PhD, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, OUHSC
• Joan Walker, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OUHSC
• Jeremy White, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, OUHSC
• Bin Zheng, PhD, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, OU Norman

“Our researchers are conducting numerous cutting-edge projects, advancing our knowledge of how to best fight cancer,” said Kathleen Moore, MD, associate director for clinical research at the Stephenson Cancer Center. “Presenting at ASCO means the work we are doing not only benefits our patients in Oklahoma, but cancer patients throughout the world.”

The Stephenson Cancer Center earned National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation in May 2018. NCI Centers represent the top 2 percent of cancer centers in the United States. The Stephenson is the only NCI-Designated Cancer Center in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma TSET Phase I Program is named in recognition of the support provided by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) for cancer research at the Stephenson Cancer Center. TSET is an endowment created by the voters in 2000 to improve the health of Oklahomans.