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Aparna Parikh: Heading home from ASCO25, Exhausted but Energized

Aparna Raj Parikh/LinkedIn

Jun 4, 2025, 09:48

Aparna Parikh: Heading home from ASCO25, Exhausted but Energized

Aparna Parikh, GI oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor at the Harvard Medical School, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Heading home from ASCO25 — exhausted but energized!

ASCO always manages to pack a punch: 30,000 plus attendees, 20k+ steps a day, 6 AM meetings, 9 pm meetings ending and the joy of reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. There’s nothing quite like the annual meeting — even for extroverts, it’s a marathon!

This year, I was incredibly honored to be recognized as a FASCO — a meaningful milestone reflecting over a decade of involvement with this incredible organization.

ASCO has always been a professional home for me, and the recognition is deeply gratifying.

It was also a big year for colorectal cancer research. I worked on ATOMIC during my Genentech days — over ten years ago — was among the major data presented. It’s humbling to see how long and challenging the road to impactful science can be.

Some standout highlights:

Exercise significantly reduced the risk of colon cancer recurrence — even more than some drugs! A testament to the power of non-pharmacologic interventions and wish this was a plenary,

BREAKWATER new regimen doubled survival — from 15 to 30 months. A remarkable leap for BRAF V600E.

A pragmatic study from India showed that a low dose of a commonly used (and expensive) drug worked just as well. No pharma would likely sponsor such a trial in the U.S. — a vivid reminder of the value of global research perspectives.

Two of the major colon cancer studies were government-supported — including the exercise trial, which no industry sponsor would touch.

With NIH grants I am co-I on recently cut, I’m more convinced than ever of the need to advocate for public investment in oncology research — especially for questions that industry won’t fund but that matter deeply to patients and health systems. We need both!

Lastly, we gained tremendous momentum for the non-profit effort I lead, Reversing Early Recurrence— focused on leveraging ctDNA to accelerate therapy development and, ultimately, cure more patients.

Here’s to another inspiring ASCO — and to this amazing, purpose-driven professional community.”

Aparna Parikh recapped her experience at ASCO 2025, highlighting her FASCO recognition and key colorectal cancer research advances. She emphasized the impact of exercise on recurrence reduction, breakthroughs in BRAF V600E, and the importance of public and global research funding.

More posts featuring Aparna Parikh.

Aparna Parikh ASCO ATOMIC BRAF V600E cancer Colon cancer colorectal cancer ctDNA FASCO fight against cancer Genentech GI oncologist Global fight against cancer Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital NIH OncoDaily Oncology oncology research

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