Pancreatic Cancer and Immunotherapy with Dr. Elizabeth M. Jaffee

Join Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins for a Q&A discussion about immunotherapies in clinical trials for pancreatic cancer. #CRIsummit #Immunotherapy #pancsm https://www.cancerresearch.org/virtualsummit  

There are limited effective treatments for most patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. It is the world's most lethal cancer and the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Pancreatic cancer has taken the lives of Alex Trebek, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and civil rights activist Senator John Lewis. Pancreatic cancer patients are highly encouraged to seek clinical trials and many trials testing new immunotherapies are showing glimmers of hope. https://www.cancerresearch.org..../immunotherapy/cance

00:00 – Welcome from Tamron Hall
00:59 – Pancreatic Cancer and the Immune System
8:16 – Future of Cancer Immunotherapy
10:17 – Live Q&A

Dr. Jaffee begins the session with an overview of the characteristics of pancreatic cancer that allow it to hide from the immune system. There are three areas of research that are helping scientists understand how to awaken the immune system with immunotherapy: understanding how to bypass immune suppressive signals in the tumor microenvironment, understanding tumor heterogeneity, and developing quality T cells that have the ability to enter the tumor. Dr. Jaffee discussed promising clinical trials that combine immunotherapies with each other or other anti-cancer treatments to help induce a response to immune resistant tumors like pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Jaffe then address questions from the audience, including:
- What are some of the most common targets for vaccination?
- Is immunotherapy an immediate option? Is it generally recommended you undergo other types of anti-cancer treatments first?
- I would like to hear more about “compassionate use” and "off-label" use of immunotherapies in cancer. Is off-label access more commonly used in advanced stage cancers? What might be the criteria for use in non-advanced stage cancers?
- I lost my mother, brother, and aunt to pancreatic cancer. Why is pancreatic cancer so often diagnosed late? Are there any new early detection tests for pancreatic cancer?
- I would like to know if there is a role for immunotherapy in preventing recurrence, including after chemotherapy and/or after the Whipple procedure?
- Where can I find a pancreatic cancer immunotherapy clinical trial?
- What are common side effects of immunotherapy that your patients have experienced?
- Are there any tests to predict who might have a bad response to immunotherapy?
- Are you more susceptible to COVID-19 as a cancer patient?
- I am concerned about the safety of the new COVID-19 vaccines. Is it safe to get the vaccine if you have cancer?
- In your opinion, is telemedicine changing or potentially improving patient experiences on a clinical trial? How has your practice changed in the face of COVID-19?

Dr. Elizabeth M. Jaffee is an international leader in the development of immune-based therapies for pancreatic and breast cancers, specifically therapeutic vaccines. She is the Dana and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University, where she also serves as the deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and the associate director of the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. She the past chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board for the National Cancer Institute, a past president of the American Association for Cancer Research, and was recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Jaffee has received numerous awards in recognition of her contributions, including CRI’s 2019 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology. She is a member of the Cancer Research Institute Scientific Advisory Council and Clinical Leadership Team. https://www.cancerresearch.org..../about-cri/scientifi

Established in 1953, the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing our immune system’s power to control and potentially cure all cancers. Our mission: Save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. To accomplish this, we rely on donor support and collaborative partnerships to fund and carry out the most innovative clinical and laboratory research around the world, support the next generation of the field’s leaders, and serve as the trusted source of information on immunotherapy for cancer patients and their caregivers. https://www.cancerresearch.org

Cancer Research Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under EIN 13-1837442. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.

sync ID: MB01WB7EUVJUBPT

• Category

  Pancreatic Cancer