Issue 1 | July, 2022

Welcome to the inaugural Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University newsletter.  This quarterly publication offers the latest news on cancer research, education and training, community outreach, and more.

Community 

Gov. McKee Signs Cancer Biomarker Bill into Law

The Legorreta Cancer Center teamed up with a number of advocacy groups to support a law in Rhode Island that requires private health insurers to cover cancer biomarker testing. Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill sponsored by Sen. Maryellen Goodwin and Rep. Mia A. Ackerman into law at a ceremony held on July 22.

Biomarker testing is a test of blood or other biological material to identify changes or abnormalities that may be associated with cancer. It can help a cancer patient’s medical team pinpoint the most effective course of treatment for that patient.

“Biomarker testing can save lives. It can help doctors identify treatment that is faster, more effective and less painful, and can ultimately save treatment dollars. All insurers should embrace this technology,” said Goodwin, a cancer survivor herself. “Biomarker testing allows doctors to make full use of the cancer research and treatment experience that is available. Patients deserve that benefit, and the hope that comes with it.”

The legislation requires every policy offered by health insurers, nonprofit hospital service corporations, nonprofit medical service corporations, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for biomarker testing by Jan. 1, 2024.

The legislation represents the Legorreta Cancer Center's successful collaboration with organizations such as the American Lung Association in Rhode Island, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network-RI, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, the Latino Policy Institute and others.

Photo credit: ACS-CAN Rhode Island

In brief

Research

Lifespan Secures Approval to Offer Stem-Cell Therapy

In a win for Rhode Island patients, the Lifespan Cancer Institute received approval from the state’s Health Services Council to operate an autologous stem-cell therapy program at Rhode Island Hospital. The move will allow patients from the institute who need bone marrow transplants and other cancer therapies to receive care from their own medical team.

For years, Rhode Islanders had to travel to Boston for this life-saving care or go to the Roger Williams Medical Center, the only other facility providing stem-cell therapy in the state. Now patients will have another option, one that saves the time and expense of a long drive and keeps them with the care team they already know and trust.

“The goal is to use this CON for autologous transplant to offer first standard of care treatment to our patients (which includes CAR-T cells),” says John Reagan, MD, a hematologist-oncologist and associate professor of medicine. “We also want to expand our cell therapy program. That’s where a lot of cancer therapy is going,” he says.  

The approval also makes it possible to conduct research to move therapies forward. "We already have two studies open that deliver cell therapies to patients through the Brown University Oncology Research Group," Reagan says. One is Reagan's investigator-initiated study for leukemia and the other is for lymphoma, with Adam Olszewski, MD, as the principal investigator.

"The ultimate goal is to have a complete cell therapy program complete with research including translational," Reagan says.

Education

Shadowing Program for Medical Students Interested in Oncology

This summer, four Warren Alpert Medical School students participated in an immersive shadowing program in hematology/oncology at the Legorreta Cancer Center/Lifespan Cancer Institute. The goal is to provide medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (UiM) with opportunities to learn more about the field. During the six-week program, students gained exposure to a variety of oncological specialties including thoracic, head and neck, radiation, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and even hospital administration.

Participant Elias Eteshola, PhD, a second-year med student, is weighing a career in medical oncology or radiation oncology. “I appreciated the opportunity to sit with patients and help gather histories, get a gauge on how they're feeling, and learn about how different physicians address tough situations such as end-of-life discussions or great news such as cancers going completely away,” he says.

Eteshola adds that “it was exciting to be in the infusion center when a first-in-human product (PKMYT1 inhibitor RP-3606) was administered since Brown/Lifespan is one of the only centers in the world to start a new clinical trial in colon cancer.”

Oncologist Tom Ollila, MD, helped start the program. “This is a first step to inspire diversity in hematology/oncology,” he says. “We want to provide UiM students exposure as they embark on their medical careers and show them all that this field has to offer.” The other medical students participating are Abdifatah Omar,  Simon Kidanemariam, and Sabrina Arezo.

Eteshola, who is also participating in the Harvard Catalyst Visiting Research Internship Program, says he “connected with the science” while taking a cancer biology class during his graduate training at Duke. The shadowing program is helping him build connections at Brown within the departments he is considering “to learn which more closely aligns with my personality and expectations,” he says.

“All the attendings I worked with were great teachers that were willing to answer all my questions and provide articles to help further build my knowledge base." 

People on the Move