Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers Present Findings at ASTRO 2024

Radiation oncologists from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, will present findings on a range of topics at the 2024 American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) annual meeting, Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C.

In addition, two Sylvester researchers were honored as ASTRO 2024 Fellows.

The Sylvester presentations covered a range of topics, from innovative treatment modalities to personalized approaches that are transforming cancer care.

A full listing of Sylvester posters and oral presentations is available here. Select presentations include the following:

Olga Maria Dona Lemus – “CBCT-Based ART: Revolutionizing Radiotherapy with Artificial Intelligence and Advanced X-Ray Imaging”

As part of a larger educational session, this presentation was devoted to the basic scientific innovations, translational physics developments and clinical deployments of adaptive radiotherapy workflows for the improvement of patient treatments and outcomes.

Speakers include physicists, physicians and a dosimetrist from multiple institutions where adaptive radiotherapy techniques have been developed and deployed for clinical treatments, representing both photon and proton therapy and CBCT, MR, and PET imaging systems.

Kaylie Cullison – “Comparison of MRI-Linac to Standalone MRI Volumes in Glioblastoma: Implications for Adaptive Radiotherapy and Contrast Imaging”

According to Cullison’s research, contrast MRI after chemoradiotherapy (chemoRT) shows areas of possible tumor growth in about 50% of glioblastoma patients compared to pre-RT, but changes during chemoRT are rarely investigated due to logistics of frequent standalone MRI.

Daily MRI is feasible with MRI-Linac, but the frequency of gadolinium contrast imaging for adaptive RT remains undefined. To identify the need for contrast during chemoRT, Cullison and colleagues analyzed findings on MRI-linac T2-weighted (T2) MRI and compared those to standalone T1-post contrast (T1+C) and T2 MRI.

Nipun Merchant – “Best Practices in the Surgical Approach of Borderline Resectable and Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer and Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma”

The complexity of patients with pancreatic cancer and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma requires a personalized and multidisciplinary approach to define how to best combine the different disciplines in each clinical situation. In an invited talk as part of a larger educational session, Merchant discussed the current state of the art in the management of pancreato-biliary cancers with an emphasis on innovative therapeutic strategies.

Eric Mellon, presented for Jonathan Bell – “Defining the Occult Margin in Recurrent Glioblastoma Using Spectroscopic MRI: Implications for Radiation Therapy Volumes”

According to the research, overall survival is improved in glioblastoma (GBM) by multimodality therapy, including surgical resection and adjuvant radiation. In primary GBM (pGBM), a classic problem is the delineation of the infiltrating microscopic tumor margin for focal therapies. In recurrent GBM (rGBM), the imaging is further confounded by changes from the pGBM treatments.

As a result, rGBM is often not given RT due to confusing imaging or delivered with a tiny clinical target volume (CTV) that is likely missing high-risk non-enhancing tumor due to fears about re-RT radiation necrosis. Whole-brain spectroscopic MRI (sMRI) is an emerging MRI technique with similar resolution to brain PET that can detect native metabolites and has been applied to define CTV in pGBM. The aim was to determine whether it may also be useful in defining the CTV for rGBM.

ASTRO 2024 Fellows

Sylvester radiation oncologists Laura Freedman and Cristiane Takita were honored with the prestigious Fellow of ASTRO (FASTRO) designation at this year’s annual meeting.

This distinguished recognition is awarded to ASTRO members who have made significant contributions to the field of radiation oncology through research, education, patient care, leadership and dedicated service to the society. The FASTRO title is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing the practice of radiation oncology, with nominations made by current fellows and endorsements from leading experts in the field.

“I am incredibly proud of the expertise and dedication our team brings to this year’s ASTRO conference. Their presentations reflect our commitment to advancing cancer care and improving patient outcomes.

I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from our colleagues across the field as we continue to explore innovative ways to help patients overcome cancer,” – said Markus Bredel, Chair of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology.

ASTRO is the world’s premier scientific gathering for radiation oncology professionals, drawing experts from across the globe to present groundbreaking research and innovations. ASTRO 2024 showcased leading-edge advances in cancer treatment, patient care and radiation science. The 2024 ASTRO Annual Meeting was a live event held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, with a virtual option for attendees who are unable to join in person.

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