Behind the Scenes — January 2017
Spotlight on the UNC Brain Tumor Program
by Mary King, Editor and UNC Cancer Network Operational Coordinator
Dr. Simon Khagi is a neurological oncologist who joined UNC’s faculty, School of Medicine in 2016. He holds dual academic appointments in the departments of Medicine and Neurosurgery and is the director of the UNC Brain Tumor Program. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him about his work
Q. What is the UNC Brain Tumor Program?
A. The UNC Brain Tumor Program is a multidisciplinary collective of medical neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, and other support staff that are dedicated to improving the lives of patients afflicted with brain and spinal cord tumors. The program also has a very robust basic and translational science component that helps drive innovation. In that regard, the program leverages many different disciplines that come together for the sole purpose of finding new ways to fight brain tumors and prolonged the lives of our patients.
Q. What is your current research centered on?
A. I have many research interests because I believe that there is no single right approach to the treatment of these diseases. One of these interests centers around using a cost effective approach to repurpose already safe and available drugs in a biomarker-driven (i.e. very selective) approach for brain tumor patients with a certain mutations. Another approach is to assess how a patient with a brain tumor would respond to immunotherapy based on how many mutations a tumor may have. I’m also involved in a collaborative partnership with Dr. Shawn Hingtgen (UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy), which focuses on the development of a patient’s own neural stem cells for the purposes of treating brain tumors.
Q. What sorts of changes are occurring in your profession?
A. Unleashing the immune system against brain tumors is being actively studied and new research is coming out all of the time. Being able to harness our immune system to detect cancer holds a lot of promise and clinical trials need to be performed in order to demonstrate safety and efficacy in our patient population. Additionally, understanding predictive biomarkers associated with the cancer and the immune system can greatly improve our understanding of how to best use immunotherapy in these patients. However, the current standard of care remains surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The addition of alternating electrical fields applied to scalp is a recent means of trying to control the growth of these tumors.
Upcoming Events
by Mary King, Editor and UNC Cancer Network Operational Coordinator
January 23, 2017
NC Community College Lecture
The Role of Nutrition in Cancer Prevention, Treatment, and Survivorship
2 – 3 pm
January 25, 2017
Medical and Surgical Oncology Lecture
Sickle Cell Disease: An Overview and Updates
12 – 1 pm
January 25, 2017
Community Lunch and Learn
Lecture on Cancer: Clinical Trials 101
12 – 1 pm