Research findings by experts from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting from May 29 to June 2 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Each year the world’s largest gathering of clinical cancer research attracts more than 45,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, scientists and patient advocates.
Roswell Park physician-scientists are helping shape the future of cancer care. Being invited to present their findings to this distinguished panel reflects the quality and far-reaching impact of their work.”
Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, Associate Director and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Roswell Park
Five keynote presentations by Roswell Park faculty and staff:
- GLP-1 receptor agonists are drugs widely used to lower blood sugar and promote weight loss—and a study presented by Zunairah Shah, MBBS, Fellow in Oncology/Hematology, suggests they may have additional benefits related to breast cancer. Dr. Shah is first author of GLP-1 Therapy and Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Risk and Survival: A Real-World Analysis (Abstract 10548, Poster 509), which she will discuss Monday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT, in Hall A. Dr. breast cancer diagnosis, examining whether exposure to GLP-1RA is associated with any reduction in risk of HR+/HER2− breast cancer or improved overall survival after diagnosis.
- CAR T-cell therapy has dramatically improved outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies and is beginning to make inroads against solid tumors, but hurdles limit patient recruitment to the clinical trials that will advance the science. Rahul Thakur, MD, Chief Administrative Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, will address the challenges posed by both the geographic location and the number of regional institutions equipped to offer this treatment. He is the first and lead author of Assessment of CAR-T clinical trial availability and accessibility in the United States (Abstract 1558, poster 308). Ehsan Malek, MD, Associate Professor of Oncology and Director of Translational Research for Multiple Myeloma, is the senior author of the study, which will be presented Saturday, May 30, at 9 a.m. to noon CDT in Room A.
- Dr. Thakur is also the first author of Geographic Accessibility of recruiting clinical trials for rare and common gastrointestinal malignancies in the United States (Abstract 1540, poster 264). The study highlights the fact that approximately 40 million adults live in clinical trial “deserts” where access to clinical trials for gastrointestinal malignancies is severely limited. Archit Patel, DO, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, will present the study on Saturday, May 30, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Room A.
- Jayasree Krishnan, MBBS, is first author of the CAR-T in the Elderly Study: Survival and Real-World Toxicity in Patients ≥ 75 Years of Age with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (Abstract 7541, Poster 420). The team looked at whether patients 75 and older who received B-cell-directed CAR T-cell therapy experienced higher rates of cytokine release syndrome or other adverse reactions. Dr. Krishnan will present the team’s findings Monday, June 1, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Room A. Hamza Hassan, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, and Jens Hillengass, MD, PhD, Professor of Oncology and Internal Medicine, both of the Roswell Park Myeloma/Amyloidosis Group, are co-authors.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) systems called large language models are increasingly being used in the field of breast cancer to synthesize and interpret large amounts of information to help make decisions about diagnosis and treatment. Reproducible benchmarking is one way to measure their accuracy, but until now, use of this critical double-checking process has been limited. Mariam Haji Ahmad, MBBCh, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, will discuss her group’s evaluation of four large language models in the Standardized Exam-Style Benchmarking of Large Language Models in Breast Cancer Clinical Decision-Making (Abstract 553, poster 38). Dr. Haji Ahmad, the first author, will present the study on Monday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A. Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine and Director of Translational Breast Research, is senior author.
Dr. Eunice Wang invited to discuss FDA-approved drugs for relapsed/refractory AML
Eunice Wang, MD, Chief of Leukemia, will give an invited keynote presentation on Ziftomenib and Revumenib for Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia as part of the New Drugs in Oncology: Incorporation into Practice educational session on Friday, May 29, from 3:45 p.m. CDT: 3:55. Dr. Wang will discuss these newly FDA-approved agents, providing details for clinicians on safe dosing, potential side effects and how to manage them, and other important factors to consider. The FDA’s approval of ziftomenib for AML in patients with a specific gene mutation—the NPM1 alteration—was based on the results of a clinical trial co-led by Dr. Wang.
Five scholars honored for their research contributions
Five Roswell Park Fellows will be honored with 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Awards, presented by Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, in recognition of their research and contributions to cancer care. The honorees are all trainees who are the first authors of abstracts selected to present at the ASCO Annual Meeting: Vaishali Deenadayalan, MBBS; Yu Fujiwara, MD; Fayaz Aijaz Ahmed Khan, MBBS; Jayasree Krishnan, MBBS; and Zunairah Shah, MBBS.
Other Selected Research Roswell Park
Saturday, May 30, 9 a.m. – noon CDT, Room A
- Mrinalini Ramesh, DO, a resident physician at the University at Buffalo/Roswell Park, is the first and presenting author of the Hospital Characterization and Survival Disparities in Young-Stage Gastrointestinal Cancer (Abstract 1535, Poster 259).
Saturday, May 30, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT, Hall A
- Prantesh Jain, MD, FACP, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Medicine, is senior author of the phase 1b, two-arm A study of tolododecine alfa (ANK-101) in combination with an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody in participants with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (67bs) 461b).
- Fayaz Aijaz Ahmed Khan, MBBS, Chief Hospice and Palliative Care Fellow, is first author on PEG tube placement in early head and neck (H&N) treated with curative radiotherapy: Balancing benefit and burden in real-world practice (Abstract 1213, Poster 1213). Rebecca Calabrese, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine and Staff/Family Physician, Department of Supportive and Palliative Care, is senior author.
Saturday, May 30, 4:30-6 p.m. CDT, E451
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Michael Wong, MD, PhD, FRPC, Professor of Oncology, will present the rapid oral abstract A 3-year landmark overall survival analysis of RP1 plus nivolumab in patients with anti-PD-1-failing melanoma from the IGNYTE clinical trial (Abstract 9518).
Michael Wong, MD, PhD, FRPC, Professor of Oncology, will present the rapid oral abstract A 3-year landmark overall survival analysis of RP1 plus nivolumab in patients with anti-PD-1-failing melanoma from the IGNYTE clinical trial (Abstract 9518).
Monday, June 1, 9 a.m. – noon CDT, Room A
- Yu Fujiwara, MD, fellow in Hematology/Oncology, is first author of “Safety and Efficacy of Rechallenge Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors” After Discontinuation of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Immune-Related Adverse Events: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Abstract 111127, Poster).
- Fayaz Aijaz Ahmed Khan, MBBS, Chief Hospice and Palliative Care Fellow, is first author Pre-lymphodepletion CRP and ferritin risk stratification as a predictor of early immunotoxicities and hematologic complications after CAR-T therapy: A propensity-matched cohort study (Abstract 538 poster70). Marco Davila, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Associate Director for Translational Research and Chief of Lymphoma/Multiple Myeloma, is senior author.
Monday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT, Hall A
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Vaishali Deenadayalan, MBBS, is the first/senior author of Effects of protein-energy malnutrition on outcomes in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: A real-world analysis (Abstract 1135, poster 249).
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Mariam Haji Ahmad, MBBCh, Fellow in Hematology/Ocology Standardized Exam-Style Benchmarking of Large Language Models in Breast Cancer Clinical Decision-Making (Abstract 553, Poster 38). Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine and Director of Translational Breast Research, is senior author.
- Olivia Martin, MD, MS, Fellow in Surgical Oncology, is first author on cell proliferation, immune cell infiltration, and survival outcomes in sarcomas with high cancer-associated fibroblast expression (Abstract 11541, poster 331). Ankit Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology, is senior author.
- Masanori Oshi, MD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Breast Surgery, is the first author of ILCness stratifying the biology of lobular-like breast cancer as a CDH1 mutation-independent outcome in early ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer (Abstract 576, poster 61). Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery, is senior author.
- Zunairah Shah, MBBS, fellow in Hematology/Oncology, is the first/presenting author of Real-World Brain Metastasis Outcomes with Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (T-DXd) Versus Tucatinib-Based Therapy in Second Line HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer (Abstract 101515, post). Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine and Director of Translational Breast Research, is senior author.
Vaishali Deenadayalan, MBBS, is the first/senior author of Effects of protein-energy malnutrition on outcomes in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: A real-world analysis (Abstract 1135, poster 249).
Pulmonary surgeon on site for the NSF Innovation Corps program
Thoracic surgeon Todd Demmy, MD, FACS, will be on-site at ASCO 2026 participating in the US National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, an immersive, entrepreneurial training program that facilitates turning invention into impact.
