Innovations in Review 2024

Oncology

Our physicians and researchers rigorously collaborate to find new ways of treating cancer with the ultimate goal of preventing disease before it begins. In 2024, NewYork‑Presbyterian specialists from Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine made groundbreaking advancements in cancer detection and treatment using new research findings, innovative technologies, and elevated strategies to develop solutions for patients with all types of cancer diagnoses.

doctor looking through a microscope
doctor looking through a microscope

Program Offers Noninvasive Histotripsy for Cancerous Liver Tumors

The NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine Liver Cancer Program became one of the first in the country to offer histotripsy, a noninvasive technology that uses sound waves to destroy cancerous liver tumors. Having several advantages compared to surgery, ablation, and embolization, Juan P. Rocca, MD, MHA, surgical director for the NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine Liver Cancer Program, led a study to demonstrate the efficacy of histotripsy. The study’s results supported the tumor-targeting technology in receiving FDA approval. Because histotripsy preserves as much healthy liver tissue as possible, it could prove to be a game changer for the future of liver cancer treatment.

Program Offers Noninvasive Histotripsy for Cancerous Liver Tumors

Trial Evaluates Novel Treatment Approach for Pancreatic Cancer

Gulam A. Manji, MD, PhD, co-director of the Pancreas Center and director of gastrointestinal medical oncology at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Columbia, is leading the firstin- human study to assess the efficacy of a combination of a standard chemotherapy treatment, immunotherapy, and a CXCR4 inhibitor. The goal of the trial, known as Chemo4METPANC, is to extend survival rates for patients with pancreatic cancer, which is expected to become the secondmost common cause of cancer-related mortality by 2030.

The Chemo4METPANC trial explores the combination of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and a CXCR4 inhibitor to improve progression-free survival for metastatic pancreas cancer.

Personalizing Cancer Treatment with Genomics & AI

Research published in Nature Medicine by Dan Landau, MD, PhD, an oncologist at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, showed that a newly developed artificial intelligence– powered tool has the capability to detect tumor DNA in blood, with unprecedented sensitivity in predicting cancer recurrence. Known as MRD-EDGE, the tool detects circulating tumor DNA, singlenucleotide variants, and copy-number variants. It can also indicate, without a tissue sample, whether patients with lung cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, and/or colorectal cancer have minimal residual disease—several months ahead of standard methods. The findings are the culmination of years of research on how to detect residual disease noninvasively using genetic sequencing. The next step for MRD-EDGE is to understand how the system performs as a means of providing oncologists with real-time information to be used in clinical decision-making.

Personalizing Cancer Treatment with Genomics & AI

Multidisciplinary Team Finds Mechanism to Inhibit Metastatic ESCC

There are not many effective treatments for metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but findings from a multidisciplinary team of gastroenterologists, oncologists, and geneticists from NewYork‑Presbyterian and Columbia offer some hope that there may be more options in the future. Led by Anil K. Rustgi, MD, director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Columbia, the team discovered a new treatment target for ESCC: the CSF-1/CSF-1R axis. Reduction in CSF‑1 is associated with decreased tumor cell invasion and a lower likelihood of metastasis, even if mutant p53 is still present. Until this study, most research on ESCC focused on mutant p53, yielding modest progress. The goal is that the CSF-1/CSF-1R axis will accelerate progress and improve prognoses for patients with this aggressive form of cancer.

The CSF-1/CSF-1R axis is a potential target for future therapies to treat metastatic ESCC.

Assessing a New Standard of Care in Prostate Biopsies

Transrectal biopsies are the prevailing technique for prostate biopsies; however, the procedure puts patients at risk for infection. Jim Hu, MD, MPH, director of LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, led a team that published results in JAMA Oncology that demonstrate the efficacy of transperineal biopsies, despite not being a widely adopted approach. The study results showed a lower infection risk compared to transrectal biopsy, offering a less invasive, safer, and more accessible method. Dr. Hu is advocating for transperineal biopsies to become the new standard of care.

During a transperineal biopsy, the physician inserts the biopsy needle through the skin of the perineum directly into the prostate, thus eliminating the patient’s exposure to rectal bacteria and lowering the risk for infection that they are susceptible to through the transrectal approach.

Getting Ahead of Cancer: The Life-Saving Power of Cascade Genetic Testing

On the Advances in Care podcast, Melissa Frey, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at NewYork‑Presbyterian and director of the Genetics and Personalized Cancer Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, spoke about how cascade genetic testing can help patients and their family members take preventative action against cancer. Dr. Frey helped launch the Genetics and Personalized Cancer Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine; the goal of the program is to identify people who may be at increased risk for developing cancer and use genetic testing, counseling, and coordination to help them and their extended family potentially avoid a life-threatening illness.

Advances in care podcast featuring Dr. Melissa Frey

Connecting Cardio & Cancer: Mitigating Cardiotoxicity with Optimized Treatment Strategies

Increased risk for cardiovascular issues is an unfortunate byproduct of many cancer treatments. Stephanie Feldman, MD, a cardiologist at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine and a leader in the field of cardio-oncology, spoke on the Advances in Care podcast about how clinicians in this emerging field can optimize cancer care plans and improve quality of life for patients who are at risk for cardiovascular issues. Doing so requires advancing cardio-oncological research, taking a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, and ensuring that patients with cardiac dysfunction associated with their cancer or their treatment remedies are treated safely and effectively.

Advances in Care podcast featuring Stephanie Feldman

A Patient-Centered Approach to a Complex Cancer Case

Patient Kiley Durham survived an initial diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer, but then the cancer spread to her brain, and later to her cerebrospinal fluid, resulting in a rare complication of cancer called leptomeningeal disease. A multidisciplinary team at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, led by medical oncologist Tessa Cigler, MD, MPH, and radiation oncologist John Ng, MD, were determined to preserve her quality of life as a young mother and wife, and worked together to manage Kiley’s medical care by thinking outside of the typical playbook. This unique approach to care resulted in a successful outcome for a terminal diagnosis.

Dr. Cigler and Dr. Ng collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to deliver positive outcomes for a cancer patient with leptomeningeal disease, a diagnosis typically considered terminal.

Neoadjuvant Dual Therapy Attacks NSCLC Tumors

Nasser Altorki, MD, chief of thoracic surgery at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, was the lead author on a study that showed efficacy in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with durvalumab immunotherapy in combination with stereotactic body radiation before surgery. Results indicated this new approach is almost twice as effective at killing tumors than treatment with durvalumab alone and will continue to be explored as a future non-chemotherapy treatment option.

Dr. Nasser Altorki