Dr. Brigitte Widemann receives the AACR- Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research: Dr. Widemann was recognized for her research contributing to the understanding of genetic tumor predisposition syndromes and her leadership of clinical trials that have resulted in novel treatments for pediatric cancers. Her work led to FDA approval of the MEK inhibitor selumetinib, the first treatment for inoperable plexiform neurofibromas in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

Dr. Widemann was also recently elected into the Association of American Physicians.

Drs. Nirali Shah and Rosandra Kaplan part of multidisciplinary team that wins the AACR Team Science Award: The team is made up of many members from several institutions and is recognized for their work on the development of novel immunotherapy approaches to treat high-risk blood and immune system cancers in children. The team is co-led by former POB Chief Dr. Crystal Mackall and Dr. John Maris.  AACR states that the Team Science Award was created to “acknowledge and catalyze the growing importance of interdisciplinary teams to the understanding of cancer and the translation of research discoveries into clinical cancer applications.”

MyPART congratulates Drs. Brigitte Widemann, Nirali Shah, and Rosandra Kaplan on these achievements!

On April 18^th, Esophageal Cancer Action Network (ECAN) held a virtual meeting focused on early onset esophageal cancer. A recent study led by Dr. Prasad Iyer looked at the incidence of esophageal cancer and found that the number of patients under age 50 diagnosed with esophageal cancer per year has increased more than 3-fold from 1975 to 2015 (0.08 per 100,000 people diagnosed before age 50 in 1975 compared to 0.27 per 100,000 people diagnosed before age 50 in 2015).

Patients diagnosed at a younger age were more likely to have more advanced disease and have lower survival. The virtual meeting organized by ECAN was focused on these early-onset esophageal cancers occurring in patients younger than 50 years of age and brought together physicians, researchers, patients, and advocates.

Among the physicians participating were Dr. Amitabh Chak of Case Western Reserve University and Dr. Daniel Catenacci of the University of Chicago. Dr. Prasad Iyer (from the Mayo Clinic) presented detailed findings from his study, and patients and advocates shared their stories. Participants heard from the mother of a young man diagnosed with Stage IV esophageal cancer at the age of 16 who survived just over two years. The widow of a young man diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma at 30 and recently passed away after turning 40 shared her story. The meeting participants also included a current patient diagnosed with Stage I esophageal adenocarcinoma on her 35^th birthday who experienced a recurrence five years later and is currently in treatment. 

Dr. Abby Sandler discussed MyPART’s Natural History Study of Rare Solid Tumors and explained the importance of MyPART’s partnership with ECAN. The meeting concluded with the goal of convening researchers and specialists for a research-centered meeting in the near future, to raise awareness among researchers about the urgent need for better early detection, treatment, and understanding of esophageal cancer.

Hannah Smith is one of the post-baccalaureate fellows on the MyPART team and researches pediatric chordoma. Before graduating from college, Hannah worked as an intern in the Pediatric Oncology Branch with both the hematology group and the MyPART team. Her current project is focused on the volumetric analysis of tumors in patients who participated in the inaugural Chordoma Clinic in April 2019. This technique enables the detection of changes in tumor volume, even if the changes are small. Volumetric analysis allows a closer and more accurate analysis of tumor changes, especially for tumors with irregular shape, which has important implications for treatment and diagnosis and may contribute to better outcomes for patients.

Hannah also helps various MyPART team members with other projects. She explains, “the people involved in MyPART have roles that keep them very busy, and I am there to help carry out projects that help the research move forward, while learning from the very best.” In addition to her work with MyPART, Hannah is studying for the MCAT and plans to apply to medical schools this year. She values the opportunity to learn from the different specialists who make up the MyPART team and says, “my favorite part about being in MyPART is being able to learn from such a dynamic and diverse group of people. My position is flexible enough to allow me to train under doctors, genetic counselors, psychologists, and so much more. I feel so fortunate to be able to gain all of these unique experiences while building lasting relationships.”

Learn more about the MyPART team here.

• May is Neurofibromatosis (NF) Awareness Month and May 17th is NF Awareness Day
• May 6^th – National Nurses Day: We are so grateful to our team of nurses who care for our patients and help families access the resources and support they need! Read more about our nurses on the MyPART team here.
• May 24^th-26^th – Third RAS Initiative Symposium: Dr. Brigitte Widemann will speak about RASopathies. Learn more about this virtual event here.
• May 27^th – Psychology Day: We celebrate our psychologists and specialists in the Pediatric Oncology Branch Behavioral Health Core who care for the psychological, social, and emotional needs of our patients and their families. Access support resources and learn more here.