NYP/Columbia physician-scientists present at ASCO 44th annual meeting

NEW YORK (May 29, 2008) -- Physician-scientists from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center will present their latest research findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, May 30 to June 3. Among the most significant presentations are the following:

• Response Impressive for OncoVEXGM-CSF for Patients With Unresectable Metastatic Melanoma

  Dr. Howard L. Kaufman Chief of surgical oncology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and the Edwin C. and Anne K. Weiskopf Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  OncoVEXGM-CSF is a herpes simplex virus (a microscopic life form commonly known as the "cold-sore virus") that has been genetically changed to grow in and destroy cancer cells. The investigators showed treatment success in 32 percent of patients. Other patients have also had clinical benefit, including two patients where tumors first noted during therapy responded, two patients who responded after leaving the study, and other patients with local palliative benefit in otherwise difficult-to-treat tumors. Researchers note that the rate and durability of response is impressive compared to other treatment options available to patients with advanced melanoma, particularly in the second line/salvage therapy setting. A Phase 3 study is being planned.

• Early Oncologic Outcomes of Robotic Prostatectomy

  Dr. Erik T. Goluboff Director of urology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion, and professor of urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  Little is known about the oncologic outcomes of robotic prostatectomy. By reviewing a database of consecutive patients operated on by a single surgeon, researchers found that like other forms of prostatectomy, robotic prostatectomy provides excellent cancer control outcomes for clinically localized prostate cancer at short-term follow-up, with disease-free survival rates at 21 months.

• Pathological Outcomes Vary by Institution for Robotic Prostatectomy

  Dr. Erik T. Goluboff Director of urology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion, and professor of urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  The pathological report of a radical prostatectomy specimen has critical prognostic significance and may affect postoperative management. Given inconsistencies in specimen processing and analysis, the accuracy of pathological reports was thought to vary between institutions. To test this hypothesis, researchers analyzed outcomes of robotic prostatectomy (removal of prostate using a robotic surgical device, usually for prostate cancer) based on a single high-volume surgeon who operated at two local institutions using the same technique and the same robotic team, and compared the pathologic outcomes. Findings affirmed that the institution affects pathological outcomes, and may account for some of the differences in reported rates of surgical margins.

• Predicting Long-Term Survival Conditional on Years Survived Following Nephrectomy -- The Longer a Patient Survives, the Better Their Odds

  Dr. James McKiernan Urologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and associate professor of urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  In counseling patients after nephrectomy (surgical removal of the kidney) for renal cell carcinoma, the current literature estimates a five-year survival probability based on clinical and pathologic parameters. However, patients are not given an updated survival probability as a function of time. Investigators examined changes in 5- and 10-year survival probabilities conditional on years survived post-surgery and evaluated the effect of metastasis and local recurrence (LR) on these probabilities. The study showed that survival estimates increase significantly as the number of years survived increases, and the probability relates to the development of local recurrence and metastasis. These findings may affect how patients are monitored in the years following surgery.

• Obesity Linked to Marker for Poor Survival in Patients With Liver Cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma)

  Dr. Abby Siegel Director of hepatobiliary oncology at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  Obesity is a risk factor for worsened outcomes in several types of cancer, including primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC). The researchers hypothesized that tumor specimens from obese patients would be more likely than those from non-obese patients to show microvascular invasion, a known predictor of poor survival. The study found a significant association between obesity and increased microvascular invasion. A larger prospective study is planned.

• Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin Is Safe and Well Tolerated for Children With Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

  Dr. Mitchell S. Cairo Chief of blood and marrow transplantation at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, and professor of pediatrics, medicine and pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  The transmembrane receptor CD33 is expressed in as much as 90 percent of childhood acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). The investigators found that Gemtuzamab therapy during conditioning or after allogenic stem cell transplantation in children with AML is safe and may prevent malignant relapse. They note that therapy may help reduce the risk of mortality and relapse in following allogeneic stem cell transplant in children with high-risk AML or following reduced-intensity AlloSCT in standard-risk AML.

• Kinesin Spindle Protein (KSP) for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

  Dr. Owen O'Connor Director of Lymphoid Development and Malignancy Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

  A Phase 1 dose-escalation trial of Kinesin Spindle Protein (KSP), a drug that targets a unique aspect of cancer cell division, has been found to be well tolerated and active in select patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree. Among the most selective medical schools in the country, the school is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York State and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,242 beds. The Hospital has nearly a million patient visits in a year, including more than 220,000 visits to its emergency departments -- more than any other area hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health-care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. It ranks sixth in U.S.News & World Report's guide to "America's Best Hospitals," ranks first on New York magazine's "Best Hospitals" survey, has the greatest number of physicians listed in New York magazine's "Best Doctors" issue, and is included among Solucient's top 15 major teaching hospitals. The Hospital's mortality rates are among the lowest for heart attack and heart failure in the country, according to a 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report card. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.