View Larger Image Milind Javle, M.D., an expert in cholangiocarcinoma from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, responds to a question from the audience at the 26th C.W. Rasco Symposium on GI Malignancies, held March 13 at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Milind Javle, M.D., an expert in cholangiocarcinoma from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, responds to a question from the audience at the 26th C.W. Rasco Symposium on GI Malignancies, held March 13 at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

C.W. Rasco Symposium Highlights Advances in GI Cancer Treatment, Research

By Chris Carmody

| Physicians, nurses, and researchers convened at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute on March 13 to hear about the latest advancements in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer treatment and research.

Rangaswamy Govindarajan, M.D., director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the UAMS Department of Internal Medicine and symposium director, opened the 26th C.W. Rasco Symposium on GI Malignancies with a tribute to Rasco.

Charles William Rasco III died in 1994, at age 59, after a 2½ -year battle with colon cancer. He was a dedicated advocate for research seeking a cure for the disease.

His family provided funding to create the annual colorectal cancer symposium at UAMS. The symposium has since expanded to include a variety of gastrointestinal cancers, but it is still held in March to coincide with National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, spoke next about recent developments at the Cancer Institute.

The symposium’s morning session featured two presentations on pancreatic cancer:

  • Govindarajan examined the role of neoadjuvant therapy, which is administered to shrink tumors before surgery, in pancreatic cancer treatment, along with an overview of a novel clinical trial using the MMR vaccine to treat this disease.
  • Alexandrea Wadley, MMSc, CGC, senior genetic counselor at the Cancer Institute, talked about genetics counseling for pancreatic cancers in the age of next-generation sequencing.

Other segments focused on colorectal cancer. Sri Obulareddy, M.D., a UAMS medical oncologist, spoke to attendees about the sharp increase in colon cancer rates among young adults. Sandra Garcia, M.D., a colorectal cancer surgeon at UAMS, gave a presentation titled, “From Radical Surgery to Organ Preservation: Redefining Rectal Cancer Care.”

Sonia Orcutt, M.D., a UAMS surgical oncologist, detailed the surgical approach to management of liver metastasis.

The keynote speaker, Milind Javle, M.D., an expert in cholangiocarcinoma from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, spoke about metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in patients with cholangiocarcinoma. He predicted an increase in the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma and talked about the cancer’s interaction with immunotherapy.

After Javle’s lecture, the attendees heard from Andrew Buchan, M.D., a UAMS interventional radiologist who described how his field has a role in treating liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer.

Sumant Inamdar, M.D., a gastroenterologist at UAMS, followed with a speech about advances in endoscopic treatment for GI malignancies.

The concluding session featured a multidisciplinary panel discussion of two interesting cases. The panelists included faculty from Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, and Pathology. It was a highly informative session that highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the management of GI cancers.