Amanda Pullinger, Chief Executive Officer at Debbie’s Dream Foundation, shared on LinkedIn:
“Day 2 of the Inaugural Texas Gastrointestinal Cancer Conference began with a Breakfast Symposium featuring Women Leaders in GI Cancers. Moderated by Cathy Eng, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the session was remarkably similar to so many sessions held when I was CEO of 100 Women In Finance! The topics, the challenges and the solutions were largely the same. The brilliant panelists included Pamela Kunz – Yale Cancer Center, Melissa Lin – University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Margaret Tempero – University of California, San Francisco Health and Nataliya Uboha- University of Wisconsin Health.
The Lunch Symposium featured Vijay Dr Gunuganti, Texas Oncology speaking on New 1st Line Treatment Regimens for HER2+ Advanced GEA. While much of the presentation focused on technical data around recent trials, it was Vijay’s remarks about Biomarker testing that particularly struck me. Biomarkers are a critical tool in determining the most effective treatment for individual patients, and yet in the US today, GI cancer patients are not routinely tested for all the relevant biomarkers. I share Darshil Shah MPH’s slide in the photos as illustration of the issue. As Dr. Shah notes in the slide: Untested is Untreated.
During the lunch Q and A, I asked what the hurdles were in getting everyone tested (in the same way that all breast cancer patients are tested for biomarkers) and the answers from the speaker (and other medical professionals who came up to afterwards) suggest a number of operational and communication hurdles that must be addressed if we are to see patients across the US benefit from the new biomarker-led treatments in the GI cancer space.
As a patient advocacy group, Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer is focused on ensuring that the current hurdles around biomarker testing are identified and addressed, and that information and resources are readily available wherever in the US the patient resides. We will be raising this issue with our GI cancer partners as we plan for 2027 programs and advocacy efforts, and I encourage those in the medical community and industry to reach out so we can address this vital issue together.
The afternoon session included discussions around the Evolving Landscape in GI , Oncology, Topics included:
- Pan Tumor Approvals by Brian Grieb, Tennessee Oncology
- The data around Exercise and positive Patient Outcomes by Syed Kazmi, MD, at UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Anti-body Drug Conjugants (ADCs) by Shiraj Sen Texas Oncology
- Emerging GI Trials by Meredith Sellers Pelster, Sarah Cannon Research Institute
The closing session was a lighthearted Shark Tank debate between Samuel Klempner, and Rutika Mehta, sharing their arguments with the Sharks.
Congratulations to Rutika for the win!
Finally, thanks so much to GI Cancers Alliance for including us in this event!”
You can also read: Key Updates in GI Oncology From ESMO 2026
