Roswell Park Faculty Present Research at National Surgical Oncology Meeting

Risk calculators and combination chemotherapy regimens evaluated

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Seven Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center teams have been invited to present their research at the 69th annual Cancer Symposium of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), March 2–5 in Boston, Mass. Roswell Park faculty and fellows will present on several topics, including two novel calculators that help predict overall survival rates for patients diagnosed with esophageal and liver cancers.

“Roswell Park is honored to participate in this prestigious national meeting and offer new insights into the field of surgical oncology, including modeling to predict patient outcomes following cancer surgery,” said John M. Kane III, MD, FACS, Chair of Surgical Oncology at Roswell Park.

Emmanuel Gabriel, MD, Clinical Fellow, and faculty member Moshim Kukar, MD of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Department of Surgical Oncology developed two novel calculators for esophageal cancer patients that identify who will derive a survival benefit from neoadjuvant chemoradiation and predict individualized three-year overall survival from multimodality therapy. The model included patients from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) and incorporated data on age, disease grade and stage and neoadjuvant chemoradiation, among other factors.

Oral presentation title: “Novel Calculators for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Accurately Predict Which Patients Benefit from Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation and Estimate Overall Survival”
Abstract number: 89 – Thoracic/Esophageal track
Authors: Emmanuel Gabriel, MD, Kristopher Attwood, PhD, Rupen Shah, MD, Steven Hochwald, MD, FACS, Steven Nurkin, MD, MS, FACS and Moshim Kukar, MD, all from Roswell Park.

This single-institution retrospective study included 372 patients diagnosed with advanced biliary cancer, including intrahepatic (48.9%) and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (24.0%) as well as gallbladder carcinomas (27.1%). The study determined that the chemotherapy combination of gemcitabine plus capecitabine may be less toxic and equally effective as standard regimens. The median progression-free survival was 8 months, with an overall survival of 13 months. The most common side effect, experienced by 35.7% of the patients, was hematologic toxicity (neutropenia or thrombocytopenia), followed by infection (27.5%). This study suggests that gemcitabine/capecitabine may be an alternative treatment option for biliary cancers; a prospective comparison with other regimens is warranted.

Poster title: “Gemcitabine/Capecitabine for Advanced Biliary Cancer: Less Toxicity with Favorable Outcomes”
Abstract number: 191 – Hepato-pancreato-biliary track
Authors: Emmanuel Gabriel, MD, Kristopher Attwood, PhD, Steven Hochwald, MD, FACS, Boris Kuvshinoff, MD, MBA, Wen Wee Ma, MBBS, and Renuka Iyer, MD, all from Roswell Park.

Roswell Park researchers led by Steven Nurkin, MD, MS, FACS, developed a user-friendly point-of-care mobile risk calculator to assist in decision-making regarding the potential benefit of surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The analysis was based on National Cancer Data Base records for 5,455 HCC patients. This web-based tool accurately predicted overall survival at one, three and five years. Significant factors associated with survival included age, sex, Charleson-Deyo score, histology, grade, tumor size, node status, clinical stage, AFP level, presence of cirrhosis, surgery, margin type and adjuvant therapy. Ongoing research using this calculator will incorporate perioperative outcomes into the decision-making process.

Poster title: “A Risk Calculator for Oncological Outcomes in Patients Considering Hepatic Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma”
Abstract number: P215 – Hepato-pancreato-biliary track
Authors: Katherine Ostapoff, MD, Kristopher Attwood, PhD, Sergei Kurenov, MS, Boris Kuvshinoff, MD, MBA, Moshim Kukar, MD, Steven Hochwald, MD, FACS, and Steven Nurkin, MD, MS, FACS, all from Roswell Park.

###

The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park is one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org. Follow Roswell Park on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact

Deborah Pettibone, Public Information Specialist
716-845-4919; deborah.pettibone@roswellpark.org