Q&A with Linda T. Vahdat, MD, MBA: Advancing the patient experience through research

Linda Vahdat, MD, MBA

我们的病人不用长途跋涉就能得到最先进、最优质的癌症治疗. Their doctors are their friends and neighbors. Care doesn’t get more personalized than that. 

Linda T. Vahdat, MD, MBA

As Deputy Director, Linda T. Vahdat, MD, MBA, 正在帮助十大博彩推荐排名癌症中心改变研究和病人护理的面貌, and decoding the role of metals in cancer is the core of her achievements.  

In this Q&A, 她概述了她的研究历程,从高中科学博览会到她在关键癌症药物开发中的作用, how she cultivates a partnership with patients, 以及为什么她希望在十大博彩推荐排名健康学院开设第一家金属癌症研究所.

你最近在十大博彩推荐排名癌症中心庆祝了一年——祝贺你! What led you to the field of oncology? 

Vahdat: From early on, I was interested in cancer. My high school science fair project on radiation biology was a turning point. I saw that there was a lot of work to do. But I was also drawn to cancer patients. They’re usually very engaged. 当你们共同的目标是摆脱癌症和保持健康的生活方式时,你可以取得很多成就. You form a special relationship. 

I try to educate my patients on their options, what’s happened, and what should happen so they can recapture their sense of control. Knowledge helps reduce anxiety. 

Linda T. Vahdat, MD, MBA

You see patients in both Lebanon and Manchester. 你能分享一下关于曼彻斯特十大博彩推荐排名癌症中心和整个十大博彩推荐排名癌症中心的观察吗? 

How to stop the spread of cancer

Twenty years ago, our work in breast cancer 从一个简单的问题开始,“肿瘤是如何潜伏多年然后又复发的??" In that time, we've pinpointed the conditions tumors need to thrive. 这导致人们发现,金属,特别是铜,会导致癌症复发和扩散.

我们专注于肿瘤复发风险增加的乳腺癌患者,并开发了一种铜消耗药丸. Working with scientists and clinicians, we developed a clinical trial. That trial found our pill to be safe with minimal side effects. It is also affordable.

Additionally, 该药成功地改变了肿瘤和患者相关因素,使转移无法发生. 我们发现这是一种特别有效的方法来治疗一种难以治疗的癌症,叫做三阴性乳腺癌. 详细的科学研究证实,我们正在移除的框架瘤经常被劫持来扩散. 这些成功导致了更多的研究,以确定哪些患者从这种治疗策略中受益最大.

我们很高兴能在三阴性乳腺癌患者中开展一项铜消耗的随机II期研究. We expect this trial to begin in the spring 2023 here at Dartmouth.

– Linda T. Vahdat, MD, MBA

Vahdat: The Manchester team is incredibly cohesive and is a "well-oiled machine.“我们有一大群专业护理人员开会集思广益,分享复杂癌症病例的知识. 他们的合作将所有人聚集在一起,以改善新罕布什尔州南部和整个十大博彩推荐排名卫生系统的治疗和支持性护理. 

On the therapeutic side, we’re opening clinical trials. 临床试验的独特之处在于,它们为患者提供了最终可能获得FDA批准的治疗方法的早期途径. 通过我们,病人无需前往波士顿数小时就能得到这种治疗. 

For supportive care, we’re helping patients advocate for themselves. 坚忍的新英格兰人可能会发现,当他们感觉不舒服时,无论是由于疾病还是由于治疗的副作用,他们都很难承认. 但带着信息来的病人会完全投入,通常会取得最好的效果. 

Sometimes you need to look outside your world to come up with strategies for reducing side effects. A cold cap can reduce hair loss. Nicotine patches, for example, can help with swollen hands and feet. 冰冷的手套和靴子可以防止手指和脚趾麻木和刺痛. 我们也有应对指甲变化、睫毛脱落、对味蕾的影响和潮热的策略.  

I try to educate my patients on their options, what’s happened, and what should happen so they can recapture their sense of control. Knowledge helps reduce anxiety. 

Including your own research around metals, 哪个新兴的癌症研究和技术最让你兴奋,为什么? 

Vahdat: 我希望最终能在十大博彩推荐排名健康癌症研究所看到第一批金属. Right now, 我正在研究一种缺铜药我们正在进行临床试验来测试它对复发率高的三阴性乳腺癌的有效性. 我们知道肿瘤会劫持正常的基础设施进行扩散,而金属在这个过程中很重要. 我们的想法是,缺铜可以中断劫持过程并阻止转移. 

I’m also excited about the future of immunotherapy in breast cancer. 十大博彩推荐排名的科学家们正在为我们在这一领域的知识储备做出贡献,这样我们就能更好地了解如何使用免疫疗法来照顾我们的病人. Another area is antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) which are a big hit, too. An ADC is essentially a smart bomb that target tumors. 我帮助将首个三阴性乳腺癌ADC Trodelvy®(sacituzumab)推向市场。. Since then, ADCs have grown in popularity. 我们非常兴奋地将一种ADC带到十大博彩推荐排名健康中心,靶向表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)基因. 因为25%到30%的三阴性乳腺癌都有这种突变, we are hopeful that this will help our patients. We’re beginning what will probably be the first drug trial in patients at Dartmouth Health. 

What does the future of clinical trials look like at Dartmouth Cancer Center?

Vahdat: 我们可以使用波士顿和纽约没有的新疗法,因为 clinical trials can move through our system quickly. 我们所做的工作是确保病人在需要的时候可以参加临床试验.  

最终,我们的病人不用长途跋涉就能得到尖端的、高质量的癌症治疗. Their doctors are their friends and neighbors. Care doesn’t get more personalized than that. 

 

Linda Vahdat, MDLinda T. Vahdat, MD, MBA, is a practicing breast oncologist, 肿瘤内科主任十大博彩推荐排名癌症中心副主任. In her academic role, 她是十大博彩推荐排名大学盖泽尔医学院的米尔汉姆教授和医学教授. Vahdat在护理乳腺癌患者方面拥有超过20年的经验, with a particular focus on triple-negative breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer and breast cancer at high risk of recurring. She has been involved in the identification, conceptualization, 自1994年以来,设计和实施高风险辅助和转移性乳腺癌患者新疗法的0期至III期临床试验. 她领导FDA批准了三种治疗转移性乳腺癌的药物,并继续开展新的乳腺癌临床试验.