Coming to You from ASCO ’22: Monday, June 6
Monday at #ASCO22 featured many sessions on AI and equity. Image and article by Kevin Killian.

Coming to You from ASCO ’22: Monday, June 6

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发布日期: 2022年6月7日
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Looking for the latest ASCO news? Golin Health has you covered. We’re bringing you daily reports of all things oncology at ASCO 2022 from June 4–7. Expect a recap with the quote of the day, all the major trends from the previous day’s sessions, and the breaking news that has top-tier and trade outlets buzzing.

 

The Quote of The Day


“Artificial intelligence offers an unprecedented opportunity to transform cancer research and care delivery.”
— Dr. Tufia Haddad


Top Trends and Takeaways


A.I. in oncology: Where the field is now

The use of artificial Intelligence and machine learning in oncology was again a major topic of conversation across presentations on Monday. Dr. Aziz Nazha spoke to the unprecedented combination of computational power, big data, and financial backing that has driven the recent A.I. revolution. He then touched on the current uses of A.I. in oncology that are advancing cancer research and medicine, including:

  • Providing objectivity to diagnosis
  • Developing a more robust understanding of the human body to create more personalized medicines
  • Matching the right patients with the right clinical trials to promote the development of medicines that are tailored to the needs of a particular patient population
  • Delivering more accurate prognoses

The real-world application of Dr. Nazha’s fourth point presented itself in an abstract delivered by Dr. Mack Roach. Dr. Roach described the development of a multimodal A.I. tool designed to better predict prostate cancer outcomes in African American men. He explained that this patient subgroup is historically underrepresented in all kinds of A.I. development and genomic biomarkers, and that they face disparities in prostate cancer treatment and outcomes. African American men, regardless of socioeconomic status, have a higher mortality rate than white prostate cancer patients. But the prognosis is good—literally.

Dr. Roach revealed that the model he and his team developed outperformed the standard risk stratification tool for prostate cancer to make prognoses and treatment recommendations. And, the model performed well in all patient subgroups, namely African American men. It’s the latest in a series of game-changing applications of A.I. into clinical practice, and Dr. Roach believes it will pave the way for generalizability to other diseases.


A.I. in oncology: where the field is headed

Dr. Tufia Haddad delivered an insightful presentation on the path forward for A.I. in oncology and how the industry can get there. She laid out several future applications for this technology, including:

  • A.I.-enhanced imaging that will allow for easier discernment of whether a tumor is benign or malignant and advise oncologists on when to intervene
  • Models that can better predict a patient’s personalized cancer risk and risk of recurrence and advise doctors when it’s necessary to conduct ongoing monitoring
  • Deep learning that can help determine plans that improve safety and efficacy for treatments like radiation
  • Models capable of predicting and characterizing the molecular nature of cancers to help develop preventive vaccines
  • Creation of “digital avatars,” complete copies of patients’ bodies on which oncologists can run real-time simulations to determine the best course of treatment
  • Embedding models in patients’ electronic health records that can automatically produce treatment recommendations

Dr. Haddad explained that each one of these potential innovations is poised to improve equity in cancer care and drastically improve outcomes for patients. And while she was quick to temper expectations and point out that the field has a way to go before these dream capabilities become a reality, she closed by saying that with increased fluency in A.I. and machine learning among oncologists, the standardization of novel data collection techniques, and large clinical trials to test the feasibility of new models, the industry can and will get there.


A regulatory rendezvous

Dr. Richard Pazdur, Director of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence, sat down with Simone Fishburn for an in-depth conversation on how the agency views the ever-evolving landscape of clinical trials and what they’re doing to maximize trials’ benefits. Dr. Pazdur first offered his take on what he referred to as the “on-ramp” of accelerated approvals, which have recently become much more prevalent as a result of the pandemic. With regard to the so-called on-ramp of drug development, Dr. Pazdur repeatedly cautioned that he wants to see a lot more selectivity among single-arm trials for accelerated approvals. He explained that this recent shift has led to a fixation with response rates that risks jeopardizing the health and safety of patients, who face subjection to more toxicity with higher doses. Dr. Pazdur asserted that when it comes to dosing, more doesn’t always mean better, further warning, “If you don’t have the right dose, you’re building a house on quicksand.”

But the discussion was far from all doom and gloom; Dr. Pazdur spoke to a few different FDA projects that show promise in shaping a more equitable future for clinical research. He first named Project Equity, an initiative working to ensure that data submitted to the FDA for approval of oncology medical products adequately reflects the demographic representation of patients for whom the medical products are intended. Furthermore, Project Community is driving more participation from people of underserved and underrepresented communities in clinical trials. Dr. Pazdur also stated that the FDA encourages trial sponsors to engage the agency as soon as possible to ensure they are implementing best practices to enroll a diverse participant population.

Lastly, Dr. Pazdur spoke on Project Orbis, an FDA-led initiative to provide broader international access to recently approved oncology products. Dr. Pazdur explained that major pharmaceutical companies have historically submitted new oncology products to the FDA first for approval, then the European Medicines Agency, and that it could take years for other countries to receive them. To deliver these therapies more quickly to the patients who need them worldwide, the FDA now collaborates under project Orbis with the major regulatory bodies of all the member nations (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) to conduct joint reviews. So far, the program has been incredibly successful, helping to grant over 200 approvals and deliver oncology products to millions of patients around the world.

Today’s ASCO sessions offered a glimpse into the future of cancer diagnosis and treatment – a future with increased equity and improved outcomes due to technological innovation. What no one in the healthcare industry could dream of 100 years ago is now everyday science, and we know that what will be possible in the future in oncology—and for all diseases—is currently beyond our wildest dreams. 

Golin Health is honored to help our clients share their stories of hope, innovation, and medical breakthroughs through our PR and communication efforts. We are so excited to see what the future holds.

For more of the buzz-worthy online conversation related to #ASCO2022, see below:

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