UW Carbone Cancer Center Promotes ECOG-ACRIN Leaders

The University of Wisconsin (UW) Carbone Cancer Center recently announced leadership promotions for two individuals who are actively engaged in the scientific endeavors of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN).

Kari Wisinski, MD, has been appointed deputy director of UW Carbone Cancer Center. Dr. Wisinski is a breast cancer medical oncologist and until this appointment, served as associate director of clinical research and co-lead of the Breast Cancer Disease Oriented Team at the cancer center. She is also chief of the Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care and the Endowed Professor of Hematology and Oncology within the UW Department of Medicine. Currently, she is the principal investigator for the institution at ECOG-ACRIN, and a member of the Breast Cancer Committee. She is a past chair and current member of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Steering Committee.

Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD, has been appointed associate director of clinical research within the UW Department of Medicine, succeeding Dr. Wisinski. Dr. Uboha is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at UW Carbone and faculty member in the Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care at the UW Department of Medicine. She serves as chair of the Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Working Group of ECOG-ACRIN’s GI Cancer Committee and as a member of the Genomics Subcommittee of the Developmental Therapeutics Committee. Dr. Uboha is also co-chair of the newly opened EA2234/STOPGAP II study for patients with stomach cancer that has spread to the abdominal cavity.

ECOG-ACRIN Highlights at ASTRO 2025

Phuoc Tran, MD, PhD and Xiaolei Shi, MD, PhD (University of Maryland) presented a significant biomarker breakthrough from the CHAARTED (E3805) trial for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer at the 2025 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in San Francsico last month. The research relates to the androgen receptor (AR), a protein that binds male hormones (androgens), such as testosterone, and is crucial for male sexual development and other functions. It is known that persistent activation of AR also promotes tumor growth and impacts survival. The researchers validated six androgen production, uptake, and conversion genes—collectively termed APUC-6—combined with AR expression levels (high/low), as a prognostic biomarker for treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone or combined with docetaxel chemotherapy. Notably, patients with APUC-6 low/AR low expression benefitted significantly from the addition of docetaxel to ADT. This biomarker has the potential to inform more personalized treatment strategies for patients. Watch a research summary interview with Dr. Shi in UroToday and read Abstract 358 for more details.

Austin Sim, MD, JD (The Ohio State University) presented consensus recommendations for organ-sparing radiation therapy (RT) doses in future National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) clinical trials that focus on hematologic malignancies. Currently, prospective trials typically incorporate RT dose constraints based on solid malignancies; however, patients with hematologic malignancies are often younger and have more favorable prognoses and are treated in clinical practice with lower RT doses. Therefore, it was essential to establish customized constraints specifically for hematologic malignancies. All six cooperative groups within the National Cancer Institute’s NCTN participated in the development of these guidelines, which suggest that implementing strict RT dose constraints will minimize toxicities in this patient population. For more details, read Abstract 1101.

Jill Feldman, MA, a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Thoracic Cancer Committee and Cancer Research Advocates Committees, was a special guest speaker at ASTRO25, presenting on the topic "From Diagnosis to Advocacy: A Patient's Journey to Transforming Cancer Education." Ms. Feldman is a passionate advocate for cancer research and actively supports patients through public appearances, sharing her 30-year history with lung cancer and message of hope. Jill lost her father and two grandparents to lung cancer by the age of 13, and she herself received a lung cancer diagnosis in her 20s. Additionally, she is the founder of EGFR Resisters, an organization dedicated to supporting those affected by EGFR-positive lung cancer.

E3311 Quality of Life Data Presented at ESSD25

Beatrice Manduchi, PhD, a speech-language pathologist and researcher at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, presented two abstracts at the European Society of Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) annual meeting in Athens, Greece, earlier this month, winning 2^nd place in the Best Poster Award competition. The abstracts were: "Baseline subclinical imaging-detected dysphagia predicts post-operative high-grade swallow impairment in HPV+ OPC patients undergoing transoral surgery" and “Risk-based index for video fluoroscopy triage in long-term surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer survivors in ECOG-ACRIN E3311: a proof-of-concept study.”

Dr. Manduchi’s research adds new insights to the landmark E3311 trial, involving 519 patients with operable stage 3 or stage 4 HPV-associated throat cancer. After surgery, participants received additional treatment tailored to their risk of recurrence, considering factors such as tumor size and extent of cancer in neck lymph nodes. Initial results were published in 2021 and made a significant impact on clinical practice.

Update on the Fall Group Meeting

The ECOG-ACRIN Fall 2025 Group Meeting is quickly approaching, but there is still time to register! Join us in person October 22-24 in Philadelphia or online. As with recent meetings, we are offering a hybrid format with virtual participation for most open/general committee sessions.

Register now and then visit the Group Meeting website to view the schedule and other important information.

Featured Sessions

Group leaders encourage attendees to take part in the following sessions (all times below are Eastern Time):

Wednesday, October 22

• Young Investigator Symposium | 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
• Robert L. Comis, MD Translational Science Symposium | 3:00-5:00 PM
• Task Force on Career Advancement | 6:30-7:30 PM
• Career Advancement Networking Hour - All Welcome | 7:30-8:30 PM

Thursday, October 23

• TMIST Update and Education Session | 9:30-10:30 AM
• ComboMATCH and MyeloMATCH Update and Education Session | 1:00-2:00 PM
• Social Determinants of Health Working Group | 2:00-3:00 PM
• General Session | 5:30-7:30 PM
• Reception | 7:30-9:00 PM

Friday, October 24

• Pharmacist, Oncology Nurse, CRA/Data Manager Education Symposium | 8:00-10:00 AM