Latest news with #JulieGralow
Gulf Today
23-06-2025
- Health
- Gulf Today
Abu Dhabi hosts 2-day oncology conference
The third edition of the Best of ASCO UAE Conference opened on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Organised by SEHA, part of the PureHealth Group, in collaboration with Tawam Hospital, the event is taking place at Dusit Thani Hotel and continues until Sunday June 23, bringing together a distinguished line-up of oncology experts from around the world. Held under licence from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the conference features more than 70 international, regional and local speakers, including oncology leaders from across the Gulf Cooperation Council and the UAE. The programme includes over 70 scientific papers that have significantly influenced oncology treatment strategies this year. Professor Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of ASCO, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the annual ASCO meeting highlighted key developments, including the use of circulating tumour DNA for diagnosis and the role of artificial intelligence in supporting pathologists with more accurate tumour assessments. Gralow emphasised the importance of healthy lifestyle habits in improving patient outcomes, citing a recent randomised study that found regular exercise following a colon cancer diagnosis led to reduced recurrence and mortality rates. She underscored the benefits of combining physical activity with a balanced diet and weight loss to enhance treatment effectiveness. She also highlighted rapid advances in immunotherapy, particularly in antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are now being used in new therapeutic indications and earlier stages of cancer. On the subject of precision medicine, Gralow explained that the approach aims to identify molecular mutations that transform cells into cancerous forms and to develop treatments that precisely target those mutations. Many such targeted therapies have demonstrated efficacy in treating abnormal cancer-causing cells. Dr. Khalid Saeed Balaraj, Chair of the Oncology Centre at Tawam Hospital, and Vice-Chair of the Conference, said the event includes more than seven specialist scientific workshops designed for junior doctors. These sessions aim to equip them for future roles in cancer care and provide valuable opportunities for direct engagement with leading international oncology researchers. WAM
Al Etihad
21-06-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
Best of ASCO UAE Conference opens in Abu Dhabi with focus on oncology
21 June 2025 15:53 ABU DHABI (WAM)The third edition of the Best of ASCO UAE Conference opened Saturday in Abu by SEHA, part of the PureHealth Group, in collaboration with Tawam Hospital, the event is taking place at Dusit Thani Hotel and continues until Sunday, bringing together a distinguished line-up of oncology experts from around the under licence from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the conference features more than 70 international, regional and local speakers, including oncology leaders from across the Gulf Cooperation Council and the programme includes over 70 scientific papers that have significantly influenced oncology treatment strategies this Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of ASCO, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the annual ASCO meeting highlighted key developments, including the use of circulating tumour DNA for diagnosis and the role of artificial intelligence in supporting pathologists with more accurate tumour emphasised the importance of healthy lifestyle habits in improving patient outcomes, citing a recent randomised study that found regular exercise following a colon cancer diagnosis led to reduced recurrence and mortality rates. She underscored the benefits of combining physical activity with a balanced diet and weight loss to enhance treatment also highlighted rapid advances in immunotherapy, particularly in antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are now being used in new therapeutic indications and earlier stages of the subject of precision medicine, Gralow explained that the approach aims to identify molecular mutations that transform cells into cancerous forms and to develop treatments that precisely target those mutations. Many such targeted therapies have demonstrated efficacy in treating abnormal cancer-causing Khalid Saeed Balaraj, Chair of the Oncology Centre at Tawam Hospital, and Vice-Chair of the Conference, said the event includes more than seven specialist scientific workshops designed for junior doctors. These sessions aim to equip them for future roles in cancer care and provide valuable opportunities for direct engagement with leading international oncology discussed the emergence of new drugs that have proven effective against various cancers, noting that the conference will explore the potential for incorporating these treatments into formal care protocols, with particular emphasis on advances in treating breast cancer in also pointed to the breakthrough progress in immunotherapies and targeted therapies, which accurately attack tumours while preserving healthy surrounding added that modern medical care is increasingly based on developing individualised treatment plans tailored to each patient's unique biological and molecular profile. This approach can result in different treatment strategies for two patients with the same diagnosis, depending on their respective responses to treatment. He noted that ASCO organises an annual international conference attended by leading oncology scientists and researchers from around the world. Mouza Al Amri, Consultant Breast Surgeon and Acting Director of Breast Cancer Care Centre at Tawam Hospital, announced during the conference the launch of the Emirates Society of Radiation Oncology (ESRO). Based in Abu Dhabi, the society will focus on patient care, continuing medical education in oncology, radiation therapy and cancer surgery. She confirmed that the society's operations officially commenced on Saturday.
Medscape
04-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Can Lifestyle Changes Save Lives in Colon Cancer?
Can exercise 'therapy' and diet improve survival in patients with colon cancer? It appears so, according to two pivotal studies presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2025 annual meeting. In the CHALLENGE trial, a structured exercise program after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy cut the risk for colon cancer recurrence in patients with stage III and high-risk stage II disease by more than one quarter and the risk for death by more than one third. 'The magnitude of benefit with exercise is substantial. In fact, it is comparable, and in some cases exceeds the magnitude of benefit of many of our very good standard medical therapies in oncology,' study presenter Christopher Booth, MD, with Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, told attendees. Results of the study were published online in The New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the presentation at the meeting. The findings are 'nothing short of a major milestone,' said study discussant Peter Campbell, PhD, with Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York. The other study showed that eating a less inflammatory diet may reduce the risk for death in patients with colon cancer, with the greatest benefits seen in those who embraced anti-inflammatory foods and exercised regularly. 'Putting these two abstracts into perspective, we as physicians need to be essentially prescribing healthy diet and exercise. The combination of the two are synergistic,' Julie Gralow, MD, ASCO chief medical officer and executive vice president, told attendees. Despite the benefits of these lifestyle changes, exercise and diet are meant to supplement, not replace, established colon cancer treatments. It would be a false binary to frame this as lifestyle vs cancer treatment, explained Mark Lewis, MD, director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah. With exercise, for instance, 'the key is giving enough chemo to protect against recurrence and eliminate micrometastases but not so much that we cause neuropathy and reduce function and ability to follow the CHALLENGE structured program,' Lewis said. Exercise and Survival Colon cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Even with surgery and chemotherapy, roughly 30% of patients with stage III and high-risk stage II colon cancer will experience disease recurrence. 'As oncologists, one of the most common questions we get asked by patients is — what else can I do to improve my outcome?' Booth said. Observational studies published nearly two decades ago hinted that physically active cancer survivors fare better, but no randomized trial has definitively tested whether exercise could alter disease course. That knowledge gap prompted the Canadian Cancer Trials Group to launch the CHALLENGE trial. Between 2009 and 2023, the phase 3 study enrolled 889 adults (median age, 61 years; 51% women) who had completed surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III (90%) or high-risk stage II (10%) colon cancer. Most patients were from Canada and Australia and were enrolled 2-6 months after completing chemotherapy. Half of study participants were randomly allocated to a structured exercise program (n = 445) and half to receive standard health education materials promoting physical activity and healthy eating (control individuals, n = 444). As part of the structured exercise intervention, patients met with a physical activity consultant twice a month for the first 6 months. These sessions included exercise coaching and supervised exercise. Patients could choose their preferred aerobic exercise and most picked brisk walking. The consultants gave each patient an 'exercise prescription' to hit a specific amount of exercise. The target was an additional 10 metabolic equivalent (MET)–hours of aerobic activity per week — about three to four brisk walks each lasting 45-60 minutes. After 6 months, patients met with their consultants once a month, with additional sessions available for extra support if needed. Structured exercise led to 'substantial and sustained' increases in the amount of exercise participants did, as well as physiologic measures of their fitness, with 'highly relevant' improvements in VO2 max, 6-minute walk test, and patient-reported physical function, underscoring that participants were not only exercising more but also getting fitter, Booth said. Exercise was associated with a clinically meaningful and statistically significant 28% reduction in the risk for recurrent or new cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72; P = .017), with a 5-year disease free survival rate of 80% in the exercise group and 74% in the control group. In other words, 'for every 16 patients that went on the exercise program, exercise prevented 1 person from recurrent or new cancer' at 5 years, Booth reported. Overall survival results were 'even more impressive,' he said. At 8 years, 90% of patients in the exercise program were alive vs 83% of those in the control group, which translated to a 37% lower risk for death (HR, 0.63; P = .022). 'For every 14 patients who went on the exercise program, exercise prevented 1 person from dying' at the 8-year mark, Booth noted. 'Notably, this difference in survival was not driven by difference in cardiovascular deaths but by a reduction in the risk of death from colon cancer,' he said. Besides a slight uptick in musculoskeletal aches, no major safety signals emerged in the exercise group. It's important to note that the survival benefit associated with exercise came after patients had received surgery followed by chemotherapy — in other words, exercise did not replace established cancer treatments. It's also unclear whether initiating an exercise intervention earlier in the treatment trajectory — before surgery or during chemotherapy, instead of after chemotherapy — could further improve cancer outcomes, the authors noted. Still, 'exercise as an intervention is a no brainer and should be implemented broadly,' said ASCO expert Pamela Kunz, MD, with Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. Marco Gerlinger, MD, with Barts Cancer Institute, London, England, agreed. 'Oncologists can now make a very clear evidence-based recommendation for patients who just completed their chemotherapy for bowel cancer and are fit enough for such an exercise program,' Gerlinger said in a statement from the nonprofit UK Science Media Centre. Booth noted that knowledge alone will not be sufficient to allow most patients to change their lifestyle and realize the health benefits. 'The policy implementation piece of this is really key, and we need health systems, hospitals, and payers to invest in these behavior support programs so that patients have access to a physical activity consultant and can realize the health benefits,' he said. 'This intervention is empowering and achievable for patients and with much, much lower cost than many of our therapies. It is also sustainable for health systems,' he concluded. Diet and Survival Diet can also affect outcomes in patients with colon cancer. In the same session describing the CHALLENGE results, Sara Char, MD, with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, reported findings showing that consuming a diet high in proinflammatory foods was associated with worse overall survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. A proinflammatory diet includes red and processed meats, sugary drinks, and refined grains, while an anti-inflammatory diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil. Chronic systemic inflammation has been implicated in both colon cancer development and in its progression, and elevated levels of inflammatory markers in the blood have previously been associated with worse survival outcomes in patients with stage III colon cancer. Char and colleagues analyzed dietary patterns of a subset of 1625 patients (mean age, 61 years) with resected stage III colon cancer enrolled in the phase 3 CALGB/SWOG 80702 (Alliance) clinical trial, which compared 3 months of adjuvant chemotherapy with 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy, with or without the anti-inflammatory medication celecoxib. As part of the trial, participants reported their diet and exercise habits at various timepoints. Their diets were scored using the validated empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) tool, which is a weighted sum of 18 food groups — nine proinflammatory and nine anti-inflammatory. A high EDIP score marks a proinflammatory diet, and a low EDIP score indicates a less inflammatory diet. During median follow-up of nearly 4 years, researchers noted a trend toward worse disease-free survival in patients with high proinflammatory diets (HR, 1.46), but this association was not significant in the multivariable adjusted model (HR, 1.36; P = .22), Char reported. However, higher intake of proinflammatory foods was associated with significantly worse overall survival. Patients who consumed the most proinflammatory foods (top 20%) had an 87% higher risk for death compared with those who consumed the least (bottom 20%; HR, 1.87). The median overall survival in the highest quintile was 7.7 years and was not reached in the lowest quintile. Combine Exercise and Diet for Best Results To examine the joint effect of physical activity and diet on overall survival, patients were divided into higher and lower levels of physical activity using a cut-off of 9 MET hours per week, which roughly correlates to 30 minutes of vigorous walking five days a week with a little bit of light yoga, Char explained. In this analysis, patients with less proinflammatory diets and higher physical activity levels had the best overall survival outcomes, with a 63% lower risk for death compared with peers who consumed more pro-inflammatory diets and exercised less (HR, 0.37; P < .0001). Daily celecoxib use and low-dose aspirin use (< 100 mg/d) did not affect the association between inflammatory diet and survival. Char cautioned, that while the EDIP tool is useful to measure the inflammatory potential of a diet, 'this is not a dietary recommendation, and we need further studies to be able to tailor our findings into dietary recommendations that can be provided to patients at the bedside.' Gralow said this 'early but promising observational study suggests a powerful synergy: Patients with stage III colon cancer who embraced anti-inflammatory foods and exercised regularly showed the best overall survival compared to those with inflammatory diets and limited exercise.'
Mint
03-06-2025
- Health
- Mint
Exercise more effective than drugs in lowering 37% cancer deaths, 28% recurrence, shows new international trial
A groundbreaking international trial involving patients from the US, UK, Australia, France, Canada, and Israel has discovered that following a structured exercise programme after treatment can significantly lower the risk of cancer deaths by third, recurrence, or the development of a new cancer and is even more effective than drugs, The Guardian reported. Patients who started a structured exercise program with the support of a personal trainer or health coach after finishing treatment experienced a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% reduced risk of cancer recurrence or new cancers, compared to those who received only health advice, the trial found. The findings were revealed in Chicago at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, the world's largest cancer conference, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. For the first time in medical history, there is clear evidence that exercise surpasses many commonly prescribed medications in preventing cancer recurrence and death, according to one of the world's leading cancer specialists. In the trial, researchers enrolled 889 colon cancer patients from 2009 to 2023, with the majority (90%) diagnosed with stage three disease. Patients were randomly assigned to participate in a structured exercise programme (445) or to just get a healthy lifestyle booklet (444). Patients in the exercise group met with a personal trainer twice a month for coaching and supervised workouts, later reducing to once a month, continuing this routine for a total of three years. The exercise group received coaching and support to help them reach specific exercise goals. Their weekly target was the equivalent of three to four walks lasting 45 to 60 minutes each, though patients were free to choose their preferred activities, some opted for kayaking or skiing, for example. After five years, those in the exercise group showed a 28% lower risk of cancer recurrence or new cancers compared to the control group. After eight years, they also had a 37% lower risk of death than patients who only received the healthy lifestyle booklet. Dr. Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer of ASCO and not involved in the decade-long study, described the quality of the findings as the 'highest level of evidence' and stated that they would bring about 'a major shift in recognising the importance of promoting physical activity during and after treatment.' 'We titled [the session it was presented in] As Good as a Drug. I would have retitled it Better than a Drug, because you don't have all the side-effects. It's the same magnitude of benefit of many drugs that get approved for this kind of magnitude of benefit – 28% decreased risk of occurrence, 37% decreased risk of death. Drugs get approved for less than that, and they're expensive and they're toxic. When I started three decades ago it was still the era where we'd be gentle and say, don't overdo yourself when you're on chemo. We've reversed that. I would say [exercise is] better than a drug,' The Guardian quoted her as saying.
Scottish Sun
01-06-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Exercise boosts cancer recovery and slashes risk of death or relapse by a third, major study finds
'BETTER THAN A DRUG' Exercise boosts cancer recovery and slashes risk of death or relapse by a third, major study finds EXERCISE is 'better than a drug' at stopping cancer coming back, a landmark trial suggests. Top doctors say recovering patients should be prescribed personal trainers to boost survival. Advertisement 1 People only needed to walk for three to four hours per week to slash their risk of dying (stock image) Credit: Alamy A Cancer Research UK study showed it could slash bowel cancer patients' risk of death or relapse. Following an exercise programme after treatment reduced their risk of dying within eight years by 37 per cent. And it reduced the chance of a patient's cancer growing back within five years by 28 per cent. Physical activity also appeared to cut the risk for breast and prostate cancers, the two most common types. Advertisement 'Drugs are approved for less' Dr Julie Gralow, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said: 'This is the same magnitude of benefit as many drugs. 'Drugs get approved for less than that and they're expensive and toxic, so I would say it's better than a drug.' Dr Pamela Kunz, of Yale University in the US, said prescribing it was a 'no-brainer'. The world-first trial involved 889 people from Canada and Australia who had received surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer, the most common form of bowel cancer. Advertisement It affects around 32,000 people per year in the UK and develops in the large intestine. Half of the participants were given basic exercise advice and the other half were assigned personal trainers and given tailored exercise programmes for three years. Sun Health Explainer: Bowel Cancer The plan added the equivalent of three to four hours of walking on top of patients' normal daily activity. At the end of the 15-year trial, people in the personal trainer group were significantly less likely to have relapsed or died. Advertisement Study author Dr Christopher Booth, from Queen's University in Kingston, Canada, said: 'These results are clear: an exercise program that includes a personal trainer will reduce the risk of recurrent or new cancer, make you feel better and help you live longer. 'Most patients chose a walking program and could reach their targets by going for a walk of 45 to 60 minutes three to four times per week. 'The benefit was substantial and in some cases exceeded the benefit of many of our very good medical therapies. 'This sets a new standard of care for colon cancer.' Advertisement If you start exercising after you get through your treatment you still get the benefits – it's not too late Dr Julie Gralow He said that one life was saved for every 14 patients who enlisted in the exercise programme. It cost an estimated £2,500 per patient over three years and the Canadian government is now looking at including it in hospital care. Dr Gralow added: 'If you start exercising after you get through your treatment you absolutely still get the benefits – it's not too late. 'Three decades ago it was still the era of doctors being gentle and saying don't overdo it, but we've reversed that and had a major shift in understanding the importance of physical activity. Advertisement 'We should be doing all we can to help patients be active.'
