Cancer Data Summit Stresses Collaboration Toward Precision Care

Elizabeth McMahon
0:02

Precision care through community collaboration. The future of Cancer Data Summit puts pathologists at the center of the conversation. Plus, new hope for people who live with chronic hepatitis B. Can epigenetic therapies turn off the genes that cause chronic inflammation? This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Elizabeth McMahon. It's Thursday, September 24th. Pathology is a cornerstone of data-driven cancer discoveries. But capturing, sharing, and using that data to advance treatments doesn't just happen with a few mouse clicks. So how can pathologists improve data reporting to benefit patients? That's the focus of next Friday's Future of Cancer Data Summit at the Wynn Las Vegas, just prior to the CAP26 kickoff.

Dr. Mark Tuthill
0:59

We have a lot to learn, and it's only by having gatherings like the Cancer Data Summit, where we're looking at cancer diagnostics and therapeutics from a 360-degree point of view that we start to learn from each other. And that's why in the summit we bring in both patients and oncologists and pathologists and data crunchers and molecular scientists, so that we're really looking at the problem from multiple different angles.

Elizabeth McMahon
1:30

That's Dr. Mark Tuthill, head of pathology informatics at Henry Ford Health. He says collaboration is vital in a growing field where cancer patients can generate reams of potentially valuable health data.

Dr. Mark Tuthill
1:44

This is complicated. And what we know is that the outcomes that patients experience are not told very clearly by those numbers. So how do we get better? How do we become more consistent? How do we recognize which therapies are really impacting cancer care? Uh, and which therapies we need to do a better job at, uh, either getting it to the patient earlier or to refine those treatments so that they're more impactful.

Elizabeth McMahon
2:14

The October 2nd summit will include case examples across CAP electronic cancer protocols and sessions on informatics tools, AI opportunities, and more. More than 250 million people worldwide live with chronic liver inflammation caused by the hepatitis B virus, but so far no drugs have cured the condition. The infection can be challenging to combat because the virus can trick the immune system not to fight it. A new study in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering reveals how scientists are using epigenetic therapies to shut down hepatitis B gene activity, achieving promising results in experiments on human liver cells and in mice. In monkeys, the therapy resulted in only minimal and temporary side effects. Now, the researchers from biotech firm n Chroma Bio in Boston and several institutes in Italy are launching clinical trials in humans. The first participant received the therapy in January. Those scenarios and others are the focus of a podcast on Cap on Demand, a large library of expert-led content for CAP members. The conversation on interview do's and don'ts includes experiences from pathologists who've learned lessons along the way and the hard way. Podcast panelist Dr. Jeremy Ditelberg said talking to staff, not just your interviewers, can yield unexpected clarity about a job.

Dr. Jeremy Ditelberg
4:18

You know, and you know that it totally changed the direction of what I was going to do.

Elizabeth McMahon
4:25

Use your CAP login to access this podcast and many other popular videos, lectures, and webinars on CAP on demand. And finally, what does your desk decor say about you? From bobbleheads to quirky wall quotes, our workspaces can reflect our passions, pastimes, and our sense of humor. Recently, The Scientist magazine asked readers to show off their lab spaces, and the results might make your own aesthetic seem dull. One scientist emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison covers his walls in microbiology-related albums from bands called Salmonella Dub, Anthrax, and Dengue Fever. A professor at the University of Puget Sound has dozens of microbial plushies populating his lab space. A large pair of steer horns hangs over a chemist's desk at Queen's University. Forget House and Garden. Go to Scientist Magazine for creative ideas on decorating your own workspace. That's all for today's Daily Edition. Be sure to check the show notes for more information on today's stories. Got a story you'd like to hear on the Daily Edition? Write to us at stories at Cap.org. We're back at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of the Daily Edition. I'm Elizabeth McMahon. Have a great day.