The Future of Cancer Data Summit: Where Pathology Data Empowers Intelligent Care

Professor of Pathology

Cleveland Clinic

Modern theories describing the origin of cancer are focusing on mutational change in the cells of the affected organ. Using different lenses, Sir Charles Gutteridge will discuss how data-driven discovery has developed in the field led by the extraordinary work of the global community of pathologists. He’ll use the lens of medical history in east London—William Harvey, James Paget, John Langdon Down and Sir Frederick Treves—to set the scene. Sir Charles will also describe his own experience of being treated for metastatic lung cancer to demonstrate how data saves lives. He’ll show how the recording of structured data by pathologists and the use of those data in the clinic remains the core of precise and targeted treatment for cancer and across the whole of medicine.

SNOMED International

CAP electronic Cancer Protocols (eCP) continue to transform how cancer data is captured, shared, and used across the care continuum. In this session, an oncologist and a surgeon will discuss the ways in which structured cancer reporting is improving clinical decision-making and patient care todayand explore future opportunities to advance cancer care through better data, interoperability, and innovation.

Pathology Informatics Physician

Lead Cytopathologist, Cedars-Sinai

Moderator: M. Minhaj Siddiqui, MD, FACS, FRCP, FRCPath

Professor of Surgery and Chief of Urology, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Director of Robotic Surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center

Jeremy L. Warner, MD, MS, FAMIA, FASCO

Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics, Brown University

Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Informatics and Data Science (CCIDS)

Associate Director of Data Science, Legorreta Cancer Center

Editor-in-Chief, JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics

Learn how the UI Cancer Center uses informatics tools and data resources to advance cancer research, from cohort identification and data curation to visualization and analysis. The session will highlight how the Research Hub brings these capabilities together to help investigators access and use research-ready data more efficiently.

Director of Oncology Informatics,

Co-Director Data Integration Shared Resource (DISR),

University of Illinois Cancer Center

Nikita Thakur, MS

Research Data Analyst | Oncology Bioinformatics

University of Illinois Cancer Center

Learn how CAP synoptic reporting protocols and SNOMED CT–encoded structured pathology data can support multi-institutional cancer research. Presenters will share how standardized data from three institutions were used to compare neoadjuvant therapy use and pathologic complete response rates in breast cancer patients.

The discussion will explore institutional variation in treatment response, key lessons learned, and how structured synoptic data can help identify factors associated with complete response and residual disease. By making these insights more accessible across institutions, this work can help inform more personalized treatment decisions and improve outcomes for patients with cancer.

Professor Emeritus

Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology,

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Brad McDowell, PhD

Director, Population Research Core

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center,

University of Iowa

This fast-moving panel will explore timely, high-impact issues shaping how AI is being adopted across healthcare and pathology, with an emphasis on practical implementation and collaboration. Discussion will cover applications for data extraction—including how AI can streamline reporting and unlock insights from unstructured data—as well as how to support more equitable care by responsibly incorporating social determinants of health into models.

The panel will also address regulatory aspects, including validation, oversight, and deployment considerations, alongside emerging opportunities for AI-enabled precision medicine. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of where the field is heading and where there are opportunities to accelerate progress.

Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology

Department of Pathology,

University of Illinois at Chicago

Lewis Frey, PhD

Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Department of Pathology,

Saint Louis University

Brian Jackson, MD, MS

Professor

CLIA Director for UMMC Laboratories of Pathology

Director of Clinical Pathology,

University of Maryland

Eric E. Walk, MD, FCAP

Chief Medical Officer,

PathAI

Mary E. Edgerton, MD, PhD, FCAP

Artificial intelligence is reshaping cancer diagnostics and infectious disease pathology, but building robust algorithms requires large, well-curated datasets and coordinated infrastructure. Federal institutions are uniquely positioned to lead this work.

This panel examines how government resources, including major pathology biorepositories, can be leveraged to develop effective AI tools. Two use cases will highlight the value of federal collaboration.

The first use case focuses on an infectious disease pathology algorithm, showing how rare and diverse archival cases can train models to recognize complex infectious patterns.

A second use case addresses prostate cancer, demonstrating how pathology datasets combined with clinical metadata can improve diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision-making.

Beyond these case studies, the panel will explore the requirements for AI in the federal environment, including data curation and annotation, validation, regulatory oversight, model sharing/deployment, and ethics. Discussion will also address barriers such as data-sharing constraints and infrastructure limitations, as well as collaboration opportunities with academia, industry, and professional organizations.

Attendees will leave with practical insights into how federal initiatives are shaping AI in pathology and how similar approaches can be adapted within their own institutions.

Director of Research, Repository, and Education and

Senior Hematopathologist,

Joint Pathology Center

Stephanie Harmon

Staff Scientist and Stadtman Investigator

Center for Cancer Research,

National Cancer Institute

Joel T. Moncur, MD, PhD, MS, FCAP

Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer,

The Joint Pathology Center

This session will synthesize the day’s discussions to identify opportunities for the group to tackle next steps, including forming workgroups around priority topics and shared project ideas. Participants will identify proposed themes, discuss publication opportunities/interests, and establish teams for collaborative efforts.

Division Head of Pathology Informatics,

Henry Ford Health

Professor of Pathology.,

Cleveland Clinic