Cancer Immunotherapy Research Updates Panel at 2019 CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit in Baltimore

Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee moderates a panel with Drs. Marijo Bilusic, Ranee Mehra, and Suzanne L. Topalian on the latest scientific and clinical research in cancer immunotherapy. https://www.cancerresearch.org/summit #CRIsummit #immunotherapy

During the research update panel at the 2019 CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit in Baltimore, Dr. Topalian noted that 10-15 years ago survival for melanoma was around 5%, but today, with the advent of anti-CTLA-4 in combination with other therapies, durable survival rates have increased up to to 50%. Dr. Mehra added that the rapid advances in immuno-oncology also required healthcare professionals to stay up-to-date on current treatments, educate themselves, and learn how best to explain these options to their patients and caregivers.

Dr. Elizabeth M. Jaffee is the deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and specializes in treating patients with pancreatic cancer. #pancsm

Dr. Ranee Mehra serves as the director of Head and Neck Medical Oncology and professor at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and specializes in treating patients with lung, head and neck cancers. #lcsm

Dr. Marijo Bilusic directs the National Institute of Health (NIH) Hematology-Oncology Fellowship. His clinical areas of expertise are genitourinary cancers, including prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular, penile, and adrenal cancers. #GUcancer

Dr. Suzanne L Topalian is the Bloomberg~Kimmel Professor of Cancer Immunotherapy and a professor of Surgery and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is the director of the Melanoma Program in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. #meln

The 2019 CRI Immunotherapy Summit in Baltimore was held at the Mount Washington Conference Center on November 16, 2019. Cancer Research Institute Immunotherapy Patient Summits are free half-day Saturday events that provide a forum for patients, caregivers, and advocates to meet together along with scientific and healthcare experts to learn more about how new breakthroughs in immunotherapy are changing standards of care for all cancers. Register at https://www.cancerresearch.org/summit

The CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit Series is part of the Cancer Research Institute's Answer to Cancer Patient Education Program. Established in 1953, the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to harnessing our immune system's power to control and potentially cure all cancers. To accomplish this, we rely on donor support and collaborative partnerships to fund and carry out the most innovative clinical and laboratory research around the world, support the next generation of the field's leaders, and serve as the trusted source of information on immunotherapy for cancer patients and their caregivers. Our Mission: Save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. https://www.cancerresearch.org