The 9th annual Spector Lectureship in the Biology of Cancer brought together clinicians and researchers from across the medical campus to share advances in science and treatment of head and neck cancer.
The day-long series of events were hosted April 15 by WashU Medicine Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and included a grand rounds lecture, case studies discussions, and research and survivorship symposiums. Invited guest speaker Joseph Curry, MD, shared his team’s efforts to better understand why some head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are resistant to immunotherapy.
Curry currently serves as professor, division chief of Head and Neck Surgery and vice-chair for research in the Department of Otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The Spector Lectureship celebrates the career of head and neck surgeon Gershon Spector, MD, professor emeritus of Otolaryngology.
“We were thrilled to have Joe Curry as our Spector lecturer this year,” said Lindburg Professor and Chair Sid Puram, MD, PhD. “Dr. Curry has developed a reputation for taking on very complex reconstructive cases and has become a master in microvascular surgery. Despite his heavy clinical footprint, he also developed an interest in translational science and clinical trials, which has broadened the impact of his work. He is a real role model for all physicians, reminding us that we should all engage in the important academic questions that surround our clinical work and push for new solutions and treatments.”
Following the morning lecture, residents presented Curry with a variety of case studies to get his thoughts on diagnosis and patient care. This year, case studies were offered by ENT residents Andrew Peterson, MD, MSCI, Jordan Varghese, MD, MSCI, Prith Roychowdhury, MD, and Olivia Nixon-Hemelt, MD.
Head and neck cancer research: a campus-wide effort
The day’s events continued with a research symposium to showcase campus-wide efforts to learn more about head and neck cancer and improve patient care. The agenda of presentations covered advances in our understanding of risk factors, mechanisms underlying metastasis and resistance to immunotherapy, comorbidities, and the benefits of patient navigation.
J. Gershon Spector Research Symposium Best Podium Presentations were awarded in two categories this year:
- The Basic Science or Translational Research Award was presented to Reilly Sample, graduate student in the Puram Lab, for his work on, “Elf3 Drives Interferon-Induced Immune Evasion in HNSCC.”
- The Clinical Research Award was presented to medical student Ash Ashok, also in the Puram Lab, for his study, “An Integrated Patient Navigation Model Improves Time to Treatment and Peri-operative Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.”
Research Symposium organizer R. Alex Harbison, MD, noted the success of the event. “This year’s Spector research symposium was a remarkable testament to the legacy of Dr. Spector,” he said. “The speaker lineup truly demonstrated the incredible depth of head and neck research being conducted here at WashU Medicine!”