Interventional Oncology Fundamentals Session Opens Up Learning Opportunities at CIO 2019

Friday, October 11, 2019 (Miami, FL) — Addressing the needs of physicians new to the interventional oncology (IO) field, the Symposium on Clinical Interventional Oncology (CIO) opened its first day with a pre-conference session focusing on IO fundamentals.

Daniel Sze, MD, Stanford University Medical Center and CIO Course Co-Director, began with an overview of oncology 101, reviewing cancer basics and oncology drugs that the interventional radiologist must know. Along with a discussion of basic oncology and current targeted therapies, Dr. Sze emphasized the intense multidisciplinary partnership involved in the care of cancer patients and the commitment necessary from interventional radiologists who choose this field. Robert Lewandowski, MD, Director of Interventional Oncology at Northwestern University, discussed methodologies for evaluating the current state of research in IO, reviewing level of evidence, clinical trial design, and understanding clinical endpoints.

Key disease states and anatomy brought forward included:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), presented by Isabel Newton, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Interventional Radiology Program Director at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Newton reviewed the LI-RADS (Liver Imaging Reporting And Data System), the use of which reflects the relative probability for HCC, and described the early, intermediate, and end stages of HCC, therapies appropriate at each stage, and the categories to evaluate treatment response.

• An overview of metastatic disease with a focus on colorectal cancer by William Rilling, MD, Professor of Radiology and Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

• Hepatic arterial anatomy, presented by Ripal Gandhi, MD, Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Miami Cancer Institute, and CIO Course Co-Director. Dr. Gandhi emphasized that familiarity with relevant arteries is “absolutely critical” and described appropriate measures to prevent the majority of Y90-related toxicities and complications. He noted careful pretreatment planning and meticulous technique remain key to safe and effective outcomes.

Embolization and ablation basics were covered in the session by Drs. Marcelo Guimaraes, Director of Vascular Interventional Radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Siddharth Padia, Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Alda Tam, Associate Professor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and CIO Course Co-Director. Dr. Guimaraes reviewed chemoembolization fundamentals. Dr. Padia focused on radioembolization basics with Y90, which provides an internal delivery of high-dose radiation to the tumor-associated capillary bed. He described circumstances and methodologies surrounding Y90 use, and why he believes it to be a superior treatment option in HCC. Dr. Tam described the “ABCs” of ablation and the disease states in which ablation is an accepted treatment option, including HCC, colorectal cancer, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and sarcoma. Options for ablation include radiofrequency, cryo, and microwave ablation, and she detailed mechanisms of action for each. Incorporating ablation into your practice, Dr. Tam concluded, is “essential”, and is supported by National Comprehensive Care Network (NCCN) guidelines for many types of cancer, where she encouraged attendees "to do a deeper dive and look at some of the footnotes."

Supportive and palliative care was the final focus, presented by Stephen B. Solomon, MD, Chief of Interventional Radiology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Solomon described how interventional radiologists who perform IO procedures can play a critical role in improving quality of life for cancer patients. Patients most likely to benefit from intervention include those with malignant ascites, effusions, pain, gastric outlet obstruction, hematuria, pruritis, and fistulae.

About the Symposium on Clinical Interventional Oncology (CIO)

Renowned for its originality, practicality, and focus on improving patient care, CIO, an HMP event, highlights the most viable and sought-after treatments in the rapidly expanding field of interventional oncology. CIO is led by course directors Ripal Gandhi, MD; Ziv Haskal, MD; Constantino Peña, MD; Daniel Sze, MD; and Alda Tam, MD. The program contains a mix of didactic lectures, case presentations and debates between experts, hands-on workshops, and pre-recorded cases woven together with audience interactivity through polling and question and answer sessions. For more information, visit theiomeeting.com.

About HMP 

HMP is the force behind Healthcare Made Practical – and is a multichannel leader in health care events and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global health care community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include Consultant360, the year-round, award-winning platform relied upon by primary care providers and other specialists; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; EMS World Expo, North America’s largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.