Interviews

Jason Westin, MD, MS, FACP, director of the Lymphoma Clinical Research Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, gave insight the ZUMA-7 trial of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (R/R LBCL) and the study's implications in the broader LBCL landscape.

Judy Wang, MD, medical oncologist and clinical trials investigator at Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, discussed the mechanism of action and rationale for studying CLN-619, an anti-MICA/B antibody, with and without pembrolizumab in patients with solid tumors.

Barb Kunz, MS, LCGC, senior genetic counselor at the US Oncology Network, shared insight on a study of social determinants of health in the context of germline genetic testing for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in the community oncology setting.

"It's really important that oncologists are on level footing along with the rest of their medical peers," said Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, incoming medical director at Thyme Care.

Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, lead investigator on the NATALEE trial of ribociclib plus hormonal therapy in hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer, discussed the study's broad population and potential payer reactions.

Surya Bhatt, MD, associate professor of medicine at University of Alabama at Birmingham, talks about a new trial in which dupilumab was used in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with frequent exacerbations and type 2 inflammation.

Amal Agarwal, DO, MBA, chief clinical officer at Monogram Health, explains the importance of value-based agreements in dialysis care, and the issue of dialysis prevalence among low-income and marginalized communities.

Unmet needs include both improved myasthenia gravis treatments as well as a way to monitor progression of the disease, said James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Attendees will gain insight into the future of multiple myeloma (MM) therapies and updates on pivotal clinical trials at the 2023 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress, according to Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation.

In this preview interview for SLEEP 2023, Rebecca Spencer, PhD, chair of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies Program Committee, highlights how bringing patients and clinicians together can inspire new ideas in sleep medicine.

Lalan Wilfong, MD, senior vice president of payer and care transformation at The US Oncology Network, shared insight into lessons learned from the Oncology Care Model (OCM) and looked ahead to the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) ahead of a panel discussion at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Andrew Evens, DO, MBA, MSc, associate director for clinical services at Rutgers Cancer Institute, discussed the ways in which SWOG S1826 trial results will build on current knowledge of Hodgkin lymphoma treatment.

Mitzi Joi Williams, MD, FAAN, medical director and CEO of Joi Life Wellness Neurology Clinic, discusses how underrepresentation of minority population patients in clinical trials became an issue and how education and raising awareness can begin to remedy it.

Insurance is by far the most important factor of whether patients followed up with treatment after getting screened for glaucoma, said Byron L. Lam, MD, professor of ophthalmology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Nicholas Bagley, JD, professor at Michigan Law at the University of Michigan, speaks about the benefits of ongoing communication about the effects of the Braidwood ruling and what will be done to keep preventive care accessible.

Mark A. Socinski, MD, executive director at AdventHealth Cancer Institute, shares insight on the cost-effectiveness and utility of biomarker testing in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Christopher P. Cannon, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and senior physician in the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, spoke about the benefit seen in a study of sotagliflozin for patients with acute heart failure.

Current myasthenia gravis therapies can exacerbate comorbidities or create other complications, said James F. Howard Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chitra Lal, MD, D-ABSM, FCCP, FAASM, FACP, ATSF, professor of medicine at Medical University of South Carolina, says that the screening threshold for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) should be low because 70% to 75% of patients with mild cognitive impairment have sleep apnea.

Debra Boyer, MD, pediatric pulmonologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and co-chair of the American Thoracic Society International Conference Committee says that even though there are strides to be made in pediatric pulmonology, treatments for children with diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, have improved.

Milena Pavlova, MD, neurologist, and medical director of the sleep testing center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner hospital, says that since sleep disorders are common, it’s important to consider that sleep can be a separate symptom from epilepsy.

Franco Laghi, MD, a professor and pulmonologist affiliated with Loyola University Medical Center as well as the Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital in Maywood, Illinois, discussed the use of home-based exercise rehabilitation programs for veterans with long COVID-19, and patient reluctance to come to a medical facility during the pandemic.

Chitra Lal, MD, D-ABSM, FCCP, FAASM, FACP, ATSF, professor of medicine at Medical University of South Carolina, talks about how there might be a link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Alzheimer disease (AD), and that treating sleep apnea early and aggressively may help prevent AD development.

Jeff Hunnicutt, CEO of Highlands Oncology Group, discusses the difference between business intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI), including process implementation and data compilation.

Anna E. Mullins, PhD, assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses the necessity of awareness of how health issues can present in World Trade Center (WTC) responders.

Gerard Criner, MD, FACP, FACCP, professor and founding chair, Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, discusses a new trial that investigated how long treatment would last for patients with emphysema, and if any complications arose.

Debra Boyer, MD, pediatric pulmonologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and co-chair of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference Committee, says that more needs be done for children who have respiratory diseases to improve their adult health outcomes.

Mitzi Joi Williams, MD, FAAN, medical director and CEO, Joi Life Wellness Neurology Clinic, addresses several reasons that have potential to delay a correct multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in minority patient populations, including social determinants of health.