New Findings in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Cancers

Fort Myers, Fla., February 24, 2022 – Innovations in cancer treatment resulting from research conducted through the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC (FCS) Phase 1 Drug Development Units and at FCS clinics throughout Florida were featured recently at two global gatherings sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO®).

Two FCS studies of advanced treatments for solid tumors experienced in bladder, hepatobiliary and similar cancers were featured at both the ASCO® 2023 Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium and the ASCO® 2023 Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium:

• A Phase 2 study investigating a treatment for patients with malignant solid tumors, co-authored by FCS medical oncologist/hematologist Maen A. Hussein, MD.
• A first in human Phase 1 study co-authored by FCS medical oncologist/hematologist Cesar Augusto Perez, MD, evaluating a next-generation treatment for patients with advanced bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), a rare disease that affects the network of tubes connecting the liver, gallbladder and small intestine.

Clinicians and researchers from around the globe came together at the two symposiums to share the latest science and approaches in GI and GU cancer treatment, research and care. Genitourinary cancers, including kidney and bladder cancers, occur in the urinary system of men and women and in the reproductive organs in men, such as prostate and testicular cancers.  Gastrointestinal cancers affect the digestive tract organs, such as the stomach, large and small intestine, pancreas, colon, liver, rectum, anus and biliary system.

“Research conducted with participation from FCS continues to contribute to advancements in the study, diagnosis and treatment of all forms of cancer, including GI and GU malignancies that impact women and men around the globe,” said Gustavo Fonseca, MD, FACP, Medical Director of the FCS Clinical Research Program.

“Increasingly, our studies are revealing new discoveries in the use of targeted immunotherapies and molecular-based treatments that effectively block or inhibit the growth of cancer cells,” said FCS Director of Drug Development Manish R. Patel, MD, who oversees the statewide practice’s three early phase Drug Development Units in Sarasota, Lake Mary and Lake Nona.

FCS President & Managing Physician Lucio Gordan, MD added, “These findings are positively impacting patient outcomes – improving cure rates and extending lives for women and men around the world.”

Also included among the FCS medical oncologists/hematologists sharing the outcomes of FCS research studies in presentations at the ASCO® GI Symposium was FCS Associate Director of Drug Development Judy S. Wang, MD.

• Trial in progress: A phase 1, first-in-human, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study of ASP3082 in patients with previously treated advanced solid tumors and KRAS G12D mutations
• Clinical and molecular presentation of KRAS G12D-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in real-world settings. Cesar Augusto Perez, MD was also a co-author.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) represents nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of high quality and equitable patient care, ASCO works to conquer cancer.