Collaboration Across Disciplines Will Improve Outcomes for Cancer Patients, Say Synergy 2016 Faculty
MIAMI, Friday, November 4, 2016 — Yesterday, Drs. Govindarajan Narayanan and Riccardo Lencioni, from the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-chairs of the 2016 Synergy Miami interventional oncology meeting, welcomed an international and multidisciplinary attendance to the 6th Synergy meeting. They thanked attendees for their commitment to improving the lives of patients. Steven Falcone, MD, also from the University of Miami, shared welcome remarks as well.
“Behind every diseased organ is a person,” said Falcone. “In 2011, Raj aptly named this meeting. He understood the importance of collaboration and the multidisciplinary approach required to be successful in treating cancer patients.” Synergy across specialties will create a greater effect for patients than the sum of each specialty alone, he said, which will improve outcomes. A strong theme running through presentations was a need for a multidisciplinary approach to caring for these patients.
The meeting’s first session focused on metastatic colorectal cancer. Ponnandai Somasundar, MD, discussed the persistent problem of mCRC recurrence, noting that given an incidence of up to 78%, it needs increased attention. David Liu, MD, from the University of British Columbia, presented the “dosimi-tree” for a better understanding of Yttrium-90 (Y90) dosimetry, reminding attendees that dose is not the same as activity.
“The ‘dosimi-tree’ has 4 roots: activity, mass or volume of tissue, the type of tissue, and particulate distribution.” By remembering that each of these of these play a role, said Liu, providers can understand the difference between activity and dose. Liu and his colleagues have developed a free app, the DAVYR Y90 Radioembolization Dosimetry Calculator, designed to provide an understanding of the relationship between the different methods of activity determination and compartmental dose for Y90 radioembolization.
William Rilling, MD, noted that unanswered questions about transarterial chemoembolization persist regarding delivery platform, optimal bead size, optimal therapeutics, effects of systemic therapy, and relative role in relation to Y90.
The afternoon program featured sessions on breast cancer and neuroendocrine tumors, and the popular hands-on embolization workshop, during which attendees interacted with a variety of embolization models.
Republished with permission from the Synergy Daily 16, the official show daily for the Synergy Miami 2016 multidisciplinary interventional oncology meeting, November 4, 2016.
