2023 NET Cancer Day Symposium

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Agenda

Read 2023 NCD: A Memorable Celebration

ABOUT

Join us at the 2023 LACNETS NET Cancer Day Symposium in Santa Monica, California:

Well-rounded agenda featuring NET experts from the medical community and patient stories.
Learn about hot topics including surgery, medical treatments, PRRT, and clinical trials.
Celebrate NET Cancer Day with inspiring, original music by a NET patient.
Connect with NET experts, patients and caregivers.
No cost to attend. This event is made possible by the generosity of donors and sponsors.

AGENDA

(Subject to change)

Speakers

SPEAKERS

THE LATEST IN PRRT

MARTIN AUERBACH, MD

Nuclear Medicine, UCLA

Dr. Allen-Auerbach is the Medical Director of UCLA Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Professor in Nuclear Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Apart from serving as attending physician in Nuclear Medicine, active research includes clinical studies investigating the role of molecular imaging with PET/CT to gain insights into malignant disease processes and as well as applications of Nuclear Medicine for the treatment of cancer.

NETS 101 &
OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCESS NET RESOURCES AND CLINICAL TRIALS

JAYDIRA DEL RIVERO, MD

Endocrinologist and Oncologist
National Cancer Institute

Dr. Del Rivero earned her medical degree from the University of Veracruz in Veracruz, Mexico and completed her internal medicine residency at Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center/NYU-Langone Medical Center.

Dr. Del Rivero completed a fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at The Inter-Institute Endocrinology Training Program (IETP) at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) where she was part of a research team developing clinical trials for pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. She then joined as Assistant Professor at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) where she specialized in endocrine oncology involving thyroid cancer, parathyroid and adrenal tumors, and clinical research for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

She subsequently completed a second fellowship in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with a research focus on endocrine malignancies. Dr. Del Rivero is board certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and Medical Oncology.

Dr. Del Rivero is a Physician Scientist in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch. She is the Principal Investigator of the Natural History Study for Neuroendocrine Neoplasm and Adrenocortical Cancer to provide the basis of further development of therapeutic interventions, prevention/screening guidelines, endpoints for future clinical trials, and patient reported outcome measures. Dr. Del Rivero’s current efforts is the development of novel treatment approaches and targeted therapies for endocrine malignancies such as advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, adrenocortical cancer and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.

SURGICAL TREATMENTS

ALEXANDRA GANGI, MD

Surgical Oncologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Dr. Alexandra Gangi is a board-certified surgical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Gangi completed a general surgical residency at Cedars-Sinai and completed her surgical oncology fellowship at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

She currently serves as the director of the Gastrointestinal Tumor and Cancer Regional Therapies Programs with specialization in Pancreatic and GI Neuroendocrine tumors, Metastatic colorectal cancer, and Peritoneal Surface Malignancies. Her research focuses on understanding GEPNET heterogeneity between and within tumors subtypes and mechanisms of chemotherapy induced liver injury.

The Nuts & Bolts of PRRT

LINDA (LINDY) GARDNER, MSN, RN, VA-BC

Lead Nurse, Nuclear Medicine, UCLA Health

Lindy has over two decades of Interventional Radiology experience prior to transitioning over to Nuclear Medicine in March of 2017. She obtained her RN qualification in 1993 from John Moores University of Liverpool, (LJMU) United Kingdom, she is a graduate from the University Of Dundee, Scotland where she received her Bachelors, and Master’s of Science in Nursing.

In her Nuclear Medicine role Lindy is the lead nurse for the Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) program, from the expanded access program (EAP) thru to the FDA approved commercial program. She has presented this program to a national and international audience; her skills are utilized as an expert liaison for institutions commencing the PRRT program, focusing on the patient experience, education, and therapy administration. Lindy is the nursing pillar lead for The International Center for Precision Oncology foundation (ICPO), with her focus on education, support and navigation for the NET patient journey.

She is also the lead nurse for Radio-Ligand Therapy (RLT) for prostate cancer within Theranostics at UCLA, covering both clinical application and research.

Lindy is a member of the Association for Radiologic and Imaging Nursing (ARIN), and the Association for Vascular Access (AVA), holding her board certification in vascular access (VACC). She sits as a member on The Healing NET Scientific Advisory Committee.

CLINICAL TRIALS 101

J. RANDOLPH HECHT, MD

Medical Oncologist, UCLA Health

Dr. Hecht is a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine. He holds the Carol and Saul Rosenzweig Chair for Cancer Therapies Development and is the Director of the UCLA Gastrointestinal Oncology Program.

Dr. Hecht attended medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He took his internal medicine residency at Northwestern and completed fellowships in gastroenterology research at the University of Chicago, and in gastroenterology and medical oncology at UCLA. Dr. Hecht is an internationally known clinical and translational researcher in the field of gastrointestinal cancers. He has published widely on the molecular biology, early detection, and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. He has lead and is currently directing small trials with new molecules as well as large international randomized trials. Current ongoing research includes preclinical models of therapy with biological agents, early studies with gene therapy vectors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and leading phase II and phase III trials with novel agents.

MEDICAL TREATMENTS

ANDREW HENDIFAR, MD

Medical Oncologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

The current research focus of Andrew Hendifar, MD, is on developing new therapies for pancreatic cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. Dr. Hendifar has helped form multidisciplinary teams that specialize in the treatments of pancreatic cancer, and carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors. Dr. Hendifar is the primary investigator for several groundbreaking therapies, including radioimmunotherapy for neuroendocrine tumors, anti-inflammatory therapy for pancreatic cancer and novel approaches to cancer cachexia. His national roles include SWOG GI Committee Member and a member of NIH Neuroendocrine Tumor Task Force. He also serves as the steering committee member for the Precision Promise Consortium and chairs the associated Supportive Care Committee. At Cedars-Sinai, he leads the Gastrointestinal Disease Research Group and is the founding Director of the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program.

HOW PATIENT PREFERENCES IMPACT TREATMENT DECISIONS

DANENG LI, MD

Medical Oncologist, City of Hope

Daneng Li, M.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, specializing in treating gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Li currently leads the liver tumors program and is also the co-director of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at City of Hope. Dr. Li embraces a multidisciplinary approach to treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. He leads several clinical trials focused on improving outcomes for patients with NETs and works closely with scientists in the development of the next generation of novel therapeutics.

Nationally, he has served on several NET committees including the NANETS Research Committee, NANETS Continuing Medical Education Committee, and the Patient-Physician Communication Task Force for the Healing NET Foundation, allowing him to work closely to support NET patient advocacy programs. For all his efforts, he was honored as a recipient of the inaugural 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award during the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in 2018.

PIANO CONCERT

TOM BAJORAS

Composer & NET Patient

Tom Bajoras began playing piano and composing music as a young child growing up in Pennsylvania. Music has been his constant companion ever since, leading him to Los Angeles, where he pursued dual careers in music and music technology. In 1991 he founded a company that develops custom software for the entertainment industry.

In January 2015 Tom's life took a sudden detour when he was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic NET. This prompted an early retirement from his software company, which allowed him to work full-time in his home studio. He currently records his own music, as well as producing music for other artists and spoken-word projects such as audiobooks and podcasts.

In 2018 Tom released a CD, Surprised By Beauty, a collection of music he wrote during the first two years of his journey with NET. Since then he has written a wide variety of music, videos, and poetry, all focused on discovering beauty in unexpected places. He finds joy through sharing his music and stories of hope in small, intimate concerts.

When not creating in his studio or performing for audiences, Tom enjoys travel, theater, and hiking with his wife, Lisa, and their rescue dog, Skyler.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

The information provided is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. Talk to your medical team if you have any questions or concerns about your individual care and treatment. The opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not represent the opinion of LACNETS.