Do you know how to differentiate between growth hormone deficiency (or GHD) and primary IGF-I deficiency (or growth hormone resistance) and the key challenges in the diagnosis and management of patients with short stature conditions? For children presenting with short stature, an early and correct diagnosis is essential to allow children to achieve their full growth potential with appropriate treatment. Listen as expert pediatric endocrinologists delve into these rare growth disorders. Join Prof. Philippe Backeljauw (Professor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA) and Prof. Dr. Joachim Woelfle (Chairman of Pediatrics, Director of the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen, Germany) as they engage in a conversation regarding key challenges in the diagnosis and management of patients with short stature conditions. The experts discuss the incidence of patients with GHD and severe primary IGF-I deficiency and how to differentiate these conditions based on clinical presentation as well as biochemical and genetic testing. The importance of taking a good medical history and physical examination is discussed, as well as various caveats related to biochemical and genetic testing. Regional differences in the diagnosis of these patients are covered as well as key challenges in the diagnosis and management. Finally, the experts discuss the different treatment options as well as the importance of ensuring caregivers are well-informed regarding the efficacy and safety of the respective treatments. This is the first video podcast episode in a two-part series on patients with severe short stature. Prefer to watch as well as listen? Watch a video of the experts in conversation and download the full transcript on the COR2ED website: https://cor2ed.com/pe-connect/programmes/rare-growth-disorders-podcast/ Or go to the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OfI3lZgjew0  Download the transcript: https://cor2ed.com/pe-connect/programmes/rare-growth-disorders-podcast/   This Podcast is endorsed by the Magic Foundation. Find out more on their website: https://www.magicfoundation.org/ The medical experts in this podcast are expressing their own views and not those of COR2ED, supporters, or their institution. This podcast is supported by an Independent Medical Education Grant from Ipsen. This podcast is developed by COR2ED.com

COR2ED Medical Education: Extended anticoagulation beyond the initial 3 months is indicated for all types of VTE, except in surgery-or trauma-VTE or in patients at high risk of bleeding. Are you up to date on the latest treatment options for VTE and their duration?  Expert haematologists Prof. Dimitrios Tsakiris (University of Basel, Switzerland) and Prof. Jerzy Windyga (Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland) engage in a discussion on this important topic. This is the third podcast in a four-part series on thrombosis in various clinical conditions. In this podcast we focus on anti-thrombotic treatment for VTE and how long optimal treatment should be.      

COR2ED Medical Education: In this podcast, two haematology experts discuss their views on the use of immune tolerance induction (ITI) in haemophilia. Prof. Jan Astermark, professor of Clinical Coagulation Medicine from Sweden, and Dr. Katharina Holstein, Haematologist from Germany, talk about whether ITI is still the first choice in patients with haemophilia A with inhibitors. A recent survey on the use of ITI in Europe, conducted by the speakers and other members of the European Collaborative Haemophilia Network, forms the basis of the discussion. In March 2022 the results of the survey were published in the journal Haemophilia. In this podcast episode the two experts discuss the results of the survey and the implications for management of haemophilia A.

COR2ED Medical Education: In this podcast episode, myeloma experts Dr. María Victoria Mateos (Haematologist at the University Hospital Salamanca, Spain) and Dr. Alexander Lesokhin (Associate Attending on the Myeloma Service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA) discuss how they choose the best treatment regimen for patients with multiple myeloma and a high-risk cytogenetic profile.  Firstly, they discuss the treatment options available for patients with high-risk cytogenetics in the US and in Europe. However, the key question is how to decide, for each individual, which treatment option is the best one. Dr. Mateos and Dr. Lesokhin discuss the factors they consider in these decisions in their clinical practice. Although the prior treatment is the most important consideration in the relapsed setting, the type of cytogenetic abnormality also plays a role. The experts specifically discuss treatment decisions in patients with extramedullary multiple myeloma: a difficult-to-treat population. The speakers also discuss the future of myeloma treatment. How should trial design be adapted to better meet the needs of patients with a high-risk cytogenetic profile? What will be the role of CAR-T and bispecific antibodies in this population? The experts conclude by summarising their key take-aways from the discussion.

COR2ED Medical Education: Prof. Karin Fijnvandraat, Professor of Paediatric Haematology at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Dr. Maria Elisa Mancuso, Senior Consultant in Haematology at IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, Italy, have an interesting discussion about prophylaxis in children with haemophilia. Along with five other members of the European Collaborative Haemophilia Network, Prof. Fijnvandraat and Dr. Mancuso recently published a white paper on prophylaxis in children in an evolving treatment landscape, in the journal Haemophilia.   In this podcast episode the two experts discuss when they start prophylaxis in young children, how they choose between plasma-derived and recombinant products and how they select the right treatment regimen, as well as practical aspects of starting prophylaxis, including the importance of involving parents in the decision-making process. 

Medical Education podcast by COR2ED. Professor James Harding, HCC Connect member, provides his perspectives and insights on key abstracts and topics discussed at ASCO GI 2022 and EASL liver cancer summit 2022 in hepatocellular carcinoma. He discusses the HIMALAYA study which evaluated dual immune checkpoint blockade inhibition namely, anti-CTLA-4 antibody tremelimumab with the anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab in the frontline setting with patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. There were other important studies at the meeting and Prof Harding highlights the RENOBATE study and the GOING study that evaluated nivolumab in combination with regorafenib and early addition of nivolumab to regorafenib regimen, respectively.

COR2ED Medical Education: Dr Jason Alcorn, nurse consultant for Uro-Oncology & Andrology at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, United Kingdom and Dr Alicia Morgans, Genitourinary Medical Oncologist and Medical Director of the Survivorship Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the United States, discuss 'PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer: Management of adverse events and the importance of communication with patients’ as part of the GU NURSES CONNECT podcast series covering ‘PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer’. In this podcast, the experts discuss adverse events associated with PARP inhibitors and the management of them, in particular thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal effects and fatigue. Jason provides some insight into how nurses support and communicate with patients, the importance of early reporting of side effects and how to manage these. Finally, the ongoing trials of PARP inhibitors in combination with other prostate cancer treatments are also considered and what these trials may mean for patients.

COR2ED Educación Médica: Pablo Peinado, coordinador de Enfermería de Investigación, y la Dra. Elena Castro, oncóloga médica, quienes trabajan en el Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga en España, discuten 'El potencial de los inhibidores de PARP en el cáncer de próstata: Lo que las enfermeras necesitan para saber'. En este podcast, los expertos analizan los inhibidores de PARP (PARPi), cómo funcionan y los datos clave de los ensayos de registro de rucaparib y olaparib, TRITON2 y PROfound. También discuten cómo seleccionar PARPi para sus pacientes con cáncer de próstata y dónde encajan en la secuencia general del tratamiento. Pablo brinda información sobre la comunicación con los pacientes y los tipos de preguntas e inquietudes que suelen tener en relación con las pruebas genéticas y el tratamiento con PARPi. Además, también analizan los PARPi que se encuentran actualmente en la última etapa de desarrollo, como niraparib y talazoparib, así como el posible uso futuro de los PARPi en combinación con inmunoterapias o inhibidores de la vía del receptor de andrógenos.

COR2ED Medical Education: Pablo Peinado, Research Nurse Coordinator, and Dr. Elena Castro, medical oncologist, who both work at Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria in Malaga in Spain, discuss ‘The potential of PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer: What nurses need to know’.  In this podcast, the experts discuss PARP inhibitors (PARPi’s), how they work and key data from the registration trials for rucaparib and olaparib, TRITON2 and PROfound.  They also discuss how to select PARPi’s for their prostate cancer patients and where they fit in the overall treatment sequence. Pablo provides some insight into communicating with patients, and the types of questions and concerns they often have in relation to genetic testing and treatment with PARPi’s.  In addition, they also discuss the PARPi’s currently in late-stage development such as niraparib and talazoparib as well as the potential future use of PARPi’s in combination with immunotherapies or androgen receptor pathway inhibitors.

COR2ED Medical Education: Joanne Chien, Nurse Practitioner specialising in urologic cancers at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, California, and Dr Alexander Wyatt, Assistant Professor in genitourinary cancer genomics at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia, discuss ‘Genetic testing and PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer’ as part of the GU NURSES CONNECT podcast series covering ‘PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer’. In this podcast, the experts discuss the gene alterations in prostate cancer and why we should consider genetic testing when thinking about treatment options such as PARP inhibitors (PARPi’s). The discussion covers why genetic testing should be performed, who should undergo testing, how to test and what this means in relation to treatment with PARP inhibitors. Dr. Alex Wyatt explains the difference between germline and somatic mutations and Joanne Chien discusses the role of the nurse during genetic counselling discussions and how this role may evolve in the future. Finally, the ongoing trials of PARP inhibitors in combination with other prostate cancer treatments are also considered and whether the outcome of these trials is likely to impact the need to perform genetic testing.

In this medical education podcast, NTRK CONNECT members Assoc. Prof. Caterina Marchiò (University of Turin, Italy) and Prof. Christian Rolfo (Center of Thoracic Oncology Tisch Cancer Institute Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA) provide pathologist and medical oncologist perspectives about the detection and treatment of TRK fusion-positive lung cancers. They discuss a number of techniques and strategies to identify this rare fusion in lung cancer patients, before going on to summarise the robust efficacy and safety data for both entrectinib and larotrectinib. Prof. Rolfo briefly covers second-generation therapies in clinical development and describes how liquid biopsy is emerging as a new technique not only to identify but also monitor patients. They conclude by stressing the importance of the collaboration and communication between pathologists and oncologists to test for and identify TRK fusion-positive lung cancer patients.

In this medical education podcast episode, Prof. Peter Galle and Prof. Amit Singal discuss the use of VEGFR-TKIs in the treatment of advanced or unresectable HCC and explain the immunomodulation rationale to combine it with immune checkpoint inhibitor. Combination approach has been validated recently with the atezolizumab+bevacizumab combination being the new standard of care in 1L setting for advanced HCC patients. In the context of advanced HCC, both experts share their view about the dosing approach with VEGFR-TKI and provide insight to handle the dosing when combining with PD-1 inhibitor. Both experts reiterate that biomarkers are urgently needed in HCC and summarize the current stratification of patients used to predict the response with VEGFR-TKI monotherapy or in immunotherapy combination. Finally, they emphasize that pre-habilitation of HCC patients is key to make the HCC patient fit for the best available treatment option.

Prof. Thomas Powles, a Medical Oncologist from Barts Cancer Centre in the UK and Prof. Georg Hutterer, a Urologist from the Medical University of Graz, Austria, discuss the role of VEGFR-TKIs in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) alone or in combination with immunotherapy. In this podcast, by COR2ED Medical Education, the two experts discuss key trials (CHECKMATE 214, KEYNOTE 426, CHECKMATE 9ER and CLEAR) which have led to recent updates to the ESMO and EAU treatment guidelines for RCC. Combination treatment with either VEGFR targeted therapy plus a PD-1 or CTLA-4 inhibitor in the first-line setting is discussed as well as VEGFR-TKI monotherapy options at the time of disease progression. They also focus on how to manage treatment toxicity whilst trying to optimise treatment outcomes and preserving patients’ quality of life as well as the use of biomarkers and risk stratification models.

In this podcast series, Dr. Jenny Seligmann (University of Leeds, UK), Dr. Autumn McRee (University of North Carolina, USA) and Dr. Dominik Modest (Charité University of Medicine, Germany) discuss the different therapeutic options available in colorectal and gastric cancer. In this third episode, the experts turn their focus to earlier stage disease and consider how lessons learnt in the treatment of metastatic disease can be applied in the neo adjuvant setting for colorectal cancer by discussing data from the FOXTROT and NICHE trials and the adjuvant setting for gastric cancer by discussing data from CheckMate 577.  Finally, the experts consider new promising data on targeting KRAS compared to the MEK and the ERK inhibitors.

In this podcast series, Dr. Jenny Seligmann (University of Leeds, UK), Dr. Autumn McRee (University of North Carolina, USA) and Dr. Dominik Modest (Charité University of Medicine, Germany) discuss the different therapeutic options available in colorectal and gastric cancer. This second episode focuses on recent developments in immunotherapy approaches in metastatic colorectal and gastric cancer – specifically whether immunotherapy should be used alone, in combination with other treatments or with chemotherapy. Data from several clinical trials are discussed such as KEYNOTE-177, CheckMate 142, CheckMate 649, KEYNOTE 062, and NICHE. The experts also consider the appropriate treatment regimens for MSI-high and MSS colorectal and gastric cancer patients and whether CPS is an appropriate biomarker for gastric cancer.

In this podcast series, Dr. Jenny Seligmann (University of Leeds, UK), Dr. Autumn McRee (University of North Carolina, USA) and Dr. Dominik Modest (Charité University of Medicine, Germany) discuss the different therapeutic options available in colorectal and gastric cancer. In this first episode the experts discuss novel targeted approaches in metastatic colorectal and gastric cancer. They discuss practice changing drug targets including BRAF and HER2 with reference to data from recent clinical trials such as DESTINY and HERACLES. They also discuss molecular testing and differences in approaches between the USA and Europe and review recommendations in the guidelines for colorectal and gastric cancer.

In this medical education podcast series, myeloma experts Dr. Karthik Ramasamy (Haematologist and Associate Professor of Haematology at the Oxford University Hospitals in London, UK) and Dr. Joshua Richter (Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Myeloma at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine and the Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai in New York, USA) discuss their experience and views on choosing the best treatment every time in multiple myeloma. In this second episode, Dr. Richter and Dr. Ramasamy explore how to select the best treatment approach in the second-line setting and beyond. Firstly, they discuss at what point they consider a patient to actually be in relapse. They both believe that it’s important to stay on top of this incurable illness and act when there is a suspicion of relapse. However, the need to treat must be balanced with quality of life. They also take potential enrolment into a clinical trial into account in the treatment decision. The decision on which treatment option to select in the second line and beyond mostly depends on refractoriness to other drugs. With an increasing number of novel treatment options becoming available, choosing a regimen that does not contain a drug the patient is refractory to is becoming easier. Dr. Richter and Dr. Ramasamy discuss the challenges around these treatment decisions. Furthermore, they share their experiences with CAR-T and other T cell redirection therapies, and when to use it in the treatment sequence. The speakers conclude with a look into the future of myeloma treatment.

The use of VEGFR-TKIs monotherapy in the treatment of unresectable or advanced HCC in 1L setting: Who can benefit and guidance on implementation of dosing-strategies and pre-habilitation of patients for the prediction of efficacy and toxicities in clinical practice Prof. Josep Llovet and Prof. Stephen L. Chan discuss a very interesting topic about the use of the VEGFR TKIs monotherapy in the treatment of unresectable or advanced HCC in the first-line setting. They will go into details about who can benefit from monotherapy and will share the current guidance on the implementation of the dosing strategies for the management of toxicity in the clinical practice. They discuss first line monotherapy with TKI (lenvatinib or sorafenib) for patients who are not suitable for the treatment with atezo-bev combination (around 20% of the patients) which is the current standard of care. They summarize the HCC patients who are not ideal for this I/O combination such as HCC patients with liver transplantation, high bleeding risk, impaired liver function or severe autoimmune disease. The experts discuss about which patients can benefit from TKI and provide a summary of efficacy data and safety profile from various pivotal clinical studies (including SHARP, REFLECT, IMbrave150) as well as real-world data. Dosing-strategies for VEGFR-TKIs and management of AEs are discussed as well as guideline recommendations. Finally, the experts discuss key developments over the next few years focusing on the new immunotherapy combinations approach that could become new standard of care.

In this medical education podcast series, myeloma experts Dr. Joshua Richter (Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Myeloma at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine and the Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai in New York, USA) and Dr. Karthik Ramasamy (Haematologist and Associate Professor of Haematology at the Oxford University Hospitals in London, UK) discuss their experience and views on choosing the best treatment every time in multiple myeloma. In this first episode, Dr. Richter and Dr. Ramasamy discuss how to select the best approach in newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma. The experts look at transplant eligibility as one of the key factors in deciding which treatment to start with in the front-line setting. They discuss the potential for personalising therapy in newly diagnosed patients, both in the transplant setting as well as in patients who are not eligible for transplantation. They also comment on the impact of MRD negativity in clinical practice and agree that the goal of treatment is to induce deep remissions. However, which patient needs triple or quadruplet therapy to achieve this goal is still unclear and the risk-benefit profile needs to be considered for each individual patient. The final topic that the experts share their points of view on is continuous vs fixed-duration maintenance therapy.

We have partnered with international experts to provide rare bone disease highlights from ASBMR 2021. This is the final episode in a series of four podcasts, in this episode Dr Eekhoff and Dr Rush discuss their rare bone disease highlights from the meeting.

We have partnered with international experts to provide rare bone diseases highlights from ASBMR 2021.  This is the third episode in a series of four podcasts. In this episode Charlene Waldman (RBD Alliance) and Inês Alves (European Rare Bone Forum) discuss their highlights.

We have partnered with international experts to provide rare bone diseases highlights from ASBMR 2021. This is the second in a series of four podcasts. In this episode Dr Oliver Semler has selected and discusses his highlights.

We have partnered with international experts to provide rare bone disease highlights from ASBMR 2021. This is the first episode in a series of four podcasts, in this episode Dr Mughal and Dr Javaid discuss their highlights.

Professor Matthias Pinter, medical hepatologist from the medical University of Vienna in Austria shares some insights from key abstracts and topics discussed at ILCA 2021 and ESMO 2021 in hepatocellular carcinoma. One main topic included discussions about treatment options in first-line systemic therapy and managing patients who still may need to receive a TKI in first-line instead. Another topic covered is how to proceed with immunotherapy in HCC, in particular the rationale for triplet immunotherapy combination. There were two studies data presented on atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, the new reference standard of care in systemic front-line HCC treatment. Another interesting topic was the combination of TACE with immune checkpoint blockade in intermediate stage HCC. Regarding monotherapy TKI in first-line setting, Prof Pinter points out that around 15 to 20% of HCC patients are not ideal candidates for atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, and these are mainly patients with HCC recurrence of the liver transplantations, patients with severe autoimmune disease, or those with a high bleeding risk. He discusses several real-world evidence studies including lenvatinib, sorafenib and regorafenib in special populations that are usually excluded from clinical trials.  Prof Pinter also discusses data presented covering predictive and prognostic biomarkers such as cachexia, the growing role of AI, multibipolar radiofrequency ablation and the potential role of underlying etiology as a predictor of the efficacy of immunotherapy.

In this podcast, NTRK CONNECT members Prof Frédérique Penault-Llorca (University of Clermont-Ferrand, France) and Prof Andrea Sartore-Bianchi (Niguarda Cancer Centre, Milan, Italy) provide both a pathologist and medical oncologist perspective about the detection and treatment of TRK fusion-positive GI cancers, with a particular focus on colorectal cancer. Penault-Llorca and Sartore-Bianchi start by explaining TRK fusion biology, the role as oncogenic drivers and briefly describe the two approved TRK inhibitors. They then discuss the challenges of finding patients harboring these fusions, referring to how enrichment strategies and predictors can aid identification in patients with GI cancers. Finally, they discuss key efficacy and safety data for larotrectinib and entrectinib, as well as mentioning second-generation products in development to tackle mechanisms of resistance.

In this podcast, Veerle Lamotte, an oncology nurse practitioner at Antwerp University Hospital and Paola Belardi, nurse chief at San Donato Hospital in Arezzo, Italy discuss the role of the nurse in the management of adverse events in patients receiving VEGFR-TKI treatment. Their discussion focuses specifically on patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC), differentiated thyroid cancer and advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). VEGFR-TKIs are widely used treatments for these solid tumours but are associated with substantial toxicity which needs early recognition and management in order to help patients stay on optimal treatment. The most common adverse events related to these treatments are discussed together with recommendations for their management. Veerle and Paola discuss the key role of the nurse as part of the multi-disciplinary team involved in the patient’s care, and the role they have in providing close support and guidance to the patient. Education of patients regarding potential side effects and early identification and management of adverse events is key in terms of trying to keep patients on the optimum dose so that they can achieve the best outcomes.

Dr. Jaume Capdevila, a Medical Oncologist at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, and Dr. Rachel van Leeuwaarde, an Endocrinologist from the University Medical Center of Utrecht in The Netherlands discuss the use of multi-kinase inhibitors (MKIs), in particular VEGFR-TKIs in patients with radioactive iodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). In this podcast, the two experts discuss key trials (SELECT, DECISION and COSMIC-311) and efficacy parameters of the current VEGFR-TKIs (lenvatinib, sorafenib and cabozantinib), how to manage toxicity whilst trying to optimise treatment outcomes and preserving always patients’ quality of life. They also discuss treatment strategies, when to start systemic treatment, which drug should be used first and how to sequence therapies. To close the podcast they take a look at ongoing clinical trials with other treatments in development for DTC.

In this third episode of the podcast series Women and Girls Bleed Too, Advanced Nurse Practitioner Debra Pollard (Katharine Dormandy Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK) is joined by Haematologist Dr. Michelle Lavin (RCSI and National Coagulation Centre, St James’ Hospital, Dublin, Ireland). They talk about the impact a bleeding disorder can have on the lives on women and girls and how these patients can and should be supported in first- and second-line care. When thinking about management, many healthcare providers will first consider medical treatment. Dr. Lavin gives a brief overview of the first-line treatment options for women and girls with bleeding symptoms. However, the speakers stress that the management of these patients goes beyond medical treatment options alone. They provide practical tips and recommendations for first-line healthcare professionals when they treat a patient with a bleeding disorder. As many bleeding disorders are hereditary diseases, a diagnosis not only has impact on the patient, but on their family as well. A bleeding disorder also impacts family planning, pregnancy, and quality of life. Medical and psychological support is essential throughout life. Finally, Michelle Lavin and Debra Pollard discuss some important topics for first-line healthcare providers to be aware of when they have a woman with a bleeding disorder in their practice, including the impact of a bleeding disorder on any medical invention, such as surgery, dental procedures or infertility treatment, but also on the use of pain medication.

In this second episode of the podcast series Women and Girls Bleed Too, Haematologist Dr. Roseline d’Oiron (Reference Centre for Haemophilia and RBD, Bicêtre Hospital AP-HP and University of Paris-Saclay in France) and Obstetrician/Gynaecologist Prof. Rezan Abdul-Kadir (The Royal Free Foundation Hospital in London, UK) discuss how to identify women and girls who are likely to have a bleeding disorder. Prof. Abdul-Kadir addresses the steps she takes when she suspects a potential bleeding disorder in one of her patients. Dr. d’Oiron confirms it is key to get a clear understanding of the personal bleeding history and family history. There are several screening tools available to help assess the patient’s signs and symptoms. The experts discuss when a patient should be referred to a Haematologist, it is important to know that Haematologists are easily accessible for referral when in doubt. Finally, Dr. d’Oiron and Prof. Abdul-Kadir address the types of testing that should and should not be done in first line. It turns out there are many misconceptions about laboratory testing for bleeding disorders. For example, contrary to common belief a normal aPTT and PT does not exclude a bleeding disorder. Furthermore, referring to a Haematologist for testing does not mean the patient should remain untreated. Starting basic treatment is crucial to limit the bleeding and address any iron deficiency as quickly as possible.

In this first episode of the podcast series Bleeding Disorders in Women and Girls: Women & Girls Bleed Too, Dr. Michelle Lavin (Haematologist at the National Coagulation Centre, St James’ Hospital, Dublin, Ireland) and Dr. Sarah O’Brien (Paediatric Haematologist at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA) discuss how bleeding disorders occur in women and girls: Women & Girls Bleed Too. In clinical practice, sometimes girls can be forgotten about as bleeding disorders are more associated with males. Dr. Lavin and Dr. O’Brien discuss the signs and symptoms of bleeding disorders and their impact on the quality of life of young girls, adolescents and adult women. Furthermore, they address how diagnosis may be easier in adults than in children, given the longer history of bleeding challenges. The experts also explore potential taboos in discussing these signs and symptoms with patients, considering intercultural differences and gender taboos, and the importance of normalising the conversation amongst healthcare professionals. Finally, Dr. Lavin and Dr. O’Brien provide guidance on the next steps first-line healthcare providers should take when they see a patient with abnormal bleeding, including treatment initiation to limit the bleeding and address iron deficiency and referral to a haematologist for further assessment.

In this episode, Dr Choo discusses some key abstracts presented during the virtual ASCO and WCGIC congresses in 2021. Dr Choo comments that despite the promising and positive data with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) in two different Phase 3 trials settings, the impact on clinical practice is still questionable. Dr Choo reviews some updated data from IMbrave150 which is the study that validated atezolizumab+bevacizumab combination as the new standard of care in 1L setting for aHCC patients. In addition, real-world data from OPTIMIS and GIDEON studies, confirmed that sorafenib has still a role to play in 1L specifically in Child-Pugh B patients. Dr Choo emphasises that biomarkers are urgently needed in HCC and summarises several studies investigating potential biomarkers that would require further investigation prior to clinical practice validation. Finally, Dr Choo completes the overview by presenting a Japanese study that provides support for radio frequency ablation as an option, apart from surgery for patients with small HCC.

Dr. Tanya Dorff (City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, USA) and Dr. Phillip Koo (Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Arizona, USA) discuss the latest developments in the field of radiopharmaceuticals and their use in Prostate Cancer. This second episode focuses on PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals and how PSMA can be a target for imaging as well as for therapies. Efficacy and safety data from the phase 2 TheraP study are discussed which investigated lutetium-PSMA versus cabazitaxel in patients with mCRPC who had progressed on docetaxel. The experts also discuss the ongoing VISION trial and what the results may mean for clinical practice as well as other ongoing trials looking at lutetium-PSMA in combination with other prostate cancer therapies such as PARP inhibitors, immunotherapies, hormonal therapies and chemotherapy. Treatment sequencing is also considered in terms of where lutetium-PSMA fits into clinical practice for mCRPC patients and how the treatment compares to Radium-223.

Dr. Tanya Dorff (City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, USA) and Dr. Phillip Koo (Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Arizona, USA) discuss the latest developments in the field of radiopharmaceuticals and their use in Prostate Cancer. They are also joined by guest speaker Dr. Neal Shore (Carolina Urologic Research Center, North Carolina, USA). In this first episode, the experts focus on the alpha emitter, Radium-223 which received regulatory approval on the basis of the phase 3 ALSYMPCA trial in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and symptomatic bone metastases. They consider mechanism of action and discuss key results from the trial and the safety profile. The experts also review the ERA-223 and PEACE-III randomised trials which investigated the use of Radium-223 in combination with next generation androgen receptor inhibitors (ARIs). A number of real-world evidence studies are also reviewed as the experts consider where radium-223 fits into the overall treatment sequence for mCRPC patients. Radiation safety and general considerations for delivering therapy with radiopharmaceuticals are also discussed.