Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will present their original research and share their expertise at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting June 4–8, 2021.
Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will present their original research and share their expertise at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting. The conference will be held virtually June 4–8, 2021. ASCO is the world's leading professional organization for oncology physicians and other professionals.
Oral Abstract Presentations
Tyler Alexander, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher from the laboratory of Kevin Krull, PhD, Epidemiology and Cancer Control, will discuss the effects of metabolic syndrome on cognitive outcomes in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Treatment for childhood cancer increases the risk of cognitive impairment and other chronic conditions. The researchers assessed the unique impact of metabolic syndrome on cognition in survivors participating in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (St. Jude LIFE). Through St. Jude LIFE, more than 4,300 childhood cancer survivors and 580 control participants have returned to St. Jude for regular health screenings throughout their adult lives. Read Alexander's abstract.
Stephanie Dixon, MD, Oncology, will present work done with senior author Gregory Armstrong, MD, Epidemiology and Cancer Control, on mortality among five-year survivors of childhood cancer. Adult survivors of childhood cancer are at greater risk for late mortality compared with the general population due to undergoing cancer treatment. Risk factors, patterns and specific causes of late mortality across the lifespan of these patients have not been well established. Dixon will present results from five decades of follow-up data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS). The CCSS is a retrospective cohort of over 38,000 childhood cancer survivors diagnosed between 1970 and 1999, which also includes data from 5,000 siblings of survivors as a comparison group. Read Dixon's abstract.
Awards and Other Presentations
Dixon is also a recipient of the ASCO Foundation 2021 Conquer Cancer Career Development Award. The award provides research funding to help early-career clinical investigators establish independent clinical cancer research programs. The honor will be presented at the Conquer Cancer Grants and Awards Ceremony at the ASCO Annual Meeting.
In addition to the oral abstract presentations, the ASCO conference will feature expert presentations on a variety of topics related to cancer care. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, St. Jude Global director, will present in the Clinical Science Symposium on the topic of “Moving Toward Equity.” Rodriguez-Galindo will discuss how telehealth can help level the field in global oncology.
The conference will also feature poster presentations showing original St. Jude research on topics including testing of new treatments for childhood cancers, the late effects of cancer care, and the molecular features of cancer.
The oral abstract, discussion and poster presentations will be available online to participants starting June 4, 2021, at 8 a.m. CDT.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.