Ronald A. DePinho
Q&A with Ronald A. DePinho
October 14, 2014
by Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor
Dr. Ronald A. DePinho, president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, recently spoke with DOTmed HealthCare Business News about what distinguishes MD Anderson in the cancer sector.
Before delving into the questions, DePinho raised a fundamental issue regarding the state of cancer today.
“Cancer has a major gap — knowledge. The complete knowledge to prevent it, the knowledge to detect it and the knowledge as to what drives it. With greater knowledge that comes from amassing data, we can see patterns and develop and apply targeted technologies that are precisely directed to tumor sites,” DePinho says.
HCBN: MD Anderson has continually been recognized as one of the top cancer centers in the nation. What makes that possible?
RD: Our excellence rests on the people we have here — from our nurses and physicians to our staff and educators. It’s an energized group, focused on our mission of ending cancer in Texas, our nation and the world. One of the things that has led to our being the premier cancer treatment facility is our multi-tiered approach. Patients get a team of physicians. So for breast cancer, a patient sees an oncologist, a reconstructive surgeon and the list goes on.
Once that team comes up with a regimen, a specialized multidisciplinary team reviews each patient treatment plan. This team could consist of more than 100 professionals who bring their knowledge to bear on patients – including nutritionists, physical therapists, survivorship specialists and more. They challenge, they offer insights – all geared to helping the patient through the cancer journey.
Another aspect that makes MD Anderson special is that we’re outward looking. We’re not simply serving the Houston population —70 percent of our patients are from outside the Houston area.
And since we know not everyone is able to travel to MD Anderson, we’re sharing our knowledge with the world. We have a national network of partners and affiliates, including sites in Madrid, Spain, Istanbul and Turkey. We also have 29 sister institutions in countries around the globe with whom we partner with on research. This allows us to “export” our protocols and the knowledge we glean daily from our clinical trials and patient care – all part of our mission.
Finally, our reputation is driven by our research and its impact on patient care. We have one of the largest research portfolios, among hospitals. With approximately $700 million, we are number one in grants from the National Cancer Institute. We have 11,000 patients currently on clinical trials, and are responsible for leading one-third of FDA clinical trials for cancer.
HCBN: Are there any new modalities or technologies either recently adopted or currently being explored for cancer treatment that you’re excited about?
RD: This is a truly revolutionary time in the history of medicine but specifically in cancer. There are a number of developments that drive us. Immunotherapy is very strong. The impact on melanoma and the combination with checkpoint inhibitors with patients showing durable responses is nothing short of historic.
From vaccines all the way to checkpoints, immunotherapy is amazing. We’re very proud of our role, but also very happy and grateful to be able to give patients new hope for formerly terminal forms of cancer.
Another area I’m excited about is the introduction of powerful analytic capabilities to understand optimal treatment options for individuals. This will change the practice of medicine. MD Anderson has been at the forefront of understanding what the data can teach us about each patient and how that information can drive care. Again, MD Anderson will share its data, so that this knowledge benefits patients not just in Houston, but around the world.
HCBN: Are there any recent developments you’d care to discuss?
RD: We have some really exciting work in ovarian cancer that we believe is a practice-changing approach. Traditionally, the goal has been reductive surgery. But unless we eliminate all disease, the chance of long-term survival is unchanged — as if the surgery wasn’t performed. However, if you first provide systemic therapy, reduce the disease and then do surgery, we believe you can greatly increase survivability.
Click here to view the hospital spotlight pictorial of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Before delving into the questions, DePinho raised a fundamental issue regarding the state of cancer today.
“Cancer has a major gap — knowledge. The complete knowledge to prevent it, the knowledge to detect it and the knowledge as to what drives it. With greater knowledge that comes from amassing data, we can see patterns and develop and apply targeted technologies that are precisely directed to tumor sites,” DePinho says.
HCBN: MD Anderson has continually been recognized as one of the top cancer centers in the nation. What makes that possible?
RD: Our excellence rests on the people we have here — from our nurses and physicians to our staff and educators. It’s an energized group, focused on our mission of ending cancer in Texas, our nation and the world. One of the things that has led to our being the premier cancer treatment facility is our multi-tiered approach. Patients get a team of physicians. So for breast cancer, a patient sees an oncologist, a reconstructive surgeon and the list goes on.
Once that team comes up with a regimen, a specialized multidisciplinary team reviews each patient treatment plan. This team could consist of more than 100 professionals who bring their knowledge to bear on patients – including nutritionists, physical therapists, survivorship specialists and more. They challenge, they offer insights – all geared to helping the patient through the cancer journey.
Another aspect that makes MD Anderson special is that we’re outward looking. We’re not simply serving the Houston population —70 percent of our patients are from outside the Houston area.
And since we know not everyone is able to travel to MD Anderson, we’re sharing our knowledge with the world. We have a national network of partners and affiliates, including sites in Madrid, Spain, Istanbul and Turkey. We also have 29 sister institutions in countries around the globe with whom we partner with on research. This allows us to “export” our protocols and the knowledge we glean daily from our clinical trials and patient care – all part of our mission.
Finally, our reputation is driven by our research and its impact on patient care. We have one of the largest research portfolios, among hospitals. With approximately $700 million, we are number one in grants from the National Cancer Institute. We have 11,000 patients currently on clinical trials, and are responsible for leading one-third of FDA clinical trials for cancer.
HCBN: Are there any new modalities or technologies either recently adopted or currently being explored for cancer treatment that you’re excited about?
RD: This is a truly revolutionary time in the history of medicine but specifically in cancer. There are a number of developments that drive us. Immunotherapy is very strong. The impact on melanoma and the combination with checkpoint inhibitors with patients showing durable responses is nothing short of historic.
From vaccines all the way to checkpoints, immunotherapy is amazing. We’re very proud of our role, but also very happy and grateful to be able to give patients new hope for formerly terminal forms of cancer.
Another area I’m excited about is the introduction of powerful analytic capabilities to understand optimal treatment options for individuals. This will change the practice of medicine. MD Anderson has been at the forefront of understanding what the data can teach us about each patient and how that information can drive care. Again, MD Anderson will share its data, so that this knowledge benefits patients not just in Houston, but around the world.
HCBN: Are there any recent developments you’d care to discuss?
RD: We have some really exciting work in ovarian cancer that we believe is a practice-changing approach. Traditionally, the goal has been reductive surgery. But unless we eliminate all disease, the chance of long-term survival is unchanged — as if the surgery wasn’t performed. However, if you first provide systemic therapy, reduce the disease and then do surgery, we believe you can greatly increase survivability.
Click here to view the hospital spotlight pictorial of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center