Podcasts about Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

In this episode of It Takes Balls, Dr. Rob Hamilton, a urologic oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University of Toronto in Canada, takes a deep dive into the science, strategy, and nuance of testicular cancer surveillance.Dr. Hamilton brings a unique perspective on how testicular cancer treatment must consider not just a cure—but the decades of life that follow. With a focus on active surveillance, he demystifies the term and explains how closely monitored checkups using blood markers, imaging, and physical exams can help reduce the risk of over-treatment.From managing relapse anxiety and reducing unnecessary CT scan radiation, to why Canadian guidelines emphasize quality of life and long-term survivorship, this conversation is rich with expert insight and practical clarity. Dr. Hamilton also unpacks the growing interest in alternatives like low-dose imaging, MRI, and even the potential of liquid biomarkers to reduce treatment burden without compromising outcomes.Have a question for a future expert guest? Submit here:https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/it-takes-balls-question-submissionWant to be a guest? Apply here:⁠https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/it-takes-balls-submissions⁠ Follow Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation:⁠https://www.testescancer.orghttps://www.twitter.com/testescancer⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/testescancerhttps://www.facebook.com/tca.orgMore about Dr. Hamilton:https://uuaurology.com/doctors/rob-hamilton/Follow Steven Crocker:https://www.twitter.com/stevencrockerhttps://www.instagram.com/stevencrockerhttps://www.facebook.com/steven.crocker2Theme song: No Time Like Now - Tom Willner www.tomwillner.com

How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life's experiences. In this episode, Dr Camidge sat down with Alexandra Rink, PhD, a medical physicist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; a clinician scientist at the Princess Margaret Research Institute; and an associate professor in the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto in Canada. Drs Camidge and Rink discussed how Dr Rink's early career interest in forensics led her down the path toward becoming a medical physicist, how physics factor into radiation therapy delivery, and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration to deliver optimal patient care.

In this episode of Onc Now, Jonathan is joined by Dr Dave Cescon, a Medical Oncologist and Clinician Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada. Together, they explore the transformative impact of CDK4/6 inhibitors, challenges in liquid biopsy research, and the potential of mRNA vaccines in oncology.  Timestamps: (02:44) -Swimming in Toronto: Competitive vs. Open Water  (08:06) -From Internal Medicine to Breast Cancer Research  (14:09) -Translational research and circulating tumour DNA  (19:53) -The role of CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer  (29:04) -FDA approval of ribociclib for high-risk early breast cancer  (31:45) -The future of mRNA vaccines for personalised cancer care  (37:34) -Dave's research challenges and innovations  (39:13) -Three wishes for healthcare 

In this podcast, Dr. Jeffrey H. Lipton, from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada, and Dr. Jorge E. Cortes from the Georgia Cancer Centre, Augusta, GA, USA, summarize data from some recent bosutinib publications and discuss implications for optimizing bosutinib treatment of patients with CML. This podcast is published open access in Targeted Oncology and is fully citeable. You can access the original published podcast article through the Targeted Oncology website and by using this link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11523-024-01123-3. All conflicts of interest can be found online. Open Access This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The material in this podcast is included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

JCO PO authors Dr. Philippe Bedard (Staff Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto) and Dr. Alberto Hernando Calvo (Medical Oncologist at Vall d´Hebron University Hospital) share insights into their JCO PO article, “Combined Transcriptome and Circulating Tumor DNA Longitudinal Biomarker Analysis Associates With Clinical Outcomes in Advanced Solid Tumors Treated With Pembrolizumab,” one of the top downloaded articles of 2024. Host Dr. Rafeh Naqash and Drs. Bedard and Hernando Calvo discuss how combined transcriptome and ctDNA longitudinal analysis associates with pembrolizumab outcomes. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Hello and welcome to JCO Precision Oncology Conversations where we bring you engaging conversations with authors of clinically relevant and highly significant JCO PO articles. I'm your host, Dr. Rafeh Naqash, podcast editor for JCO Precision Oncology and Assistant Professor at the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma.  Today we are excited to be joined by Dr. Philippe Bedard, Staff Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, as well as by Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo, Medical Oncologist at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, both authors of the JCO Precision Oncology article titled, “Combined Transcriptome and Circulating Tumor DNA Longitudinal Biomarker Analysis Associates With Clinical Outcomes in Advanced Solid Tumors Treated With Pembrolizumab.”  Thank you for joining us today. Phil and Alberto. Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo: Thank you. Dr. Philippe Bedard: Great to be with you. Thanks for having us.  Dr. Rafeh Naqash: One of the reasons we do this podcast, as some of the listeners who listen to this podcast regularly may know, is to bring in novel approaches and try to understand how the field is moving towards a space where we are understanding biomarkers better. So your manuscript that was published in JCO Precision Oncology fulfills many of those criteria. And interestingly enough, I was at a conference at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer last month earlier in November and a lot of excitement at SITC was revolving around novel transcriptomic biomarkers, proteomic biomarkers or imaging based biomarkers. So could you tell us a little bit about why you started looking at biomarkers? This is an extremely competitive field. Why did you think that looking at the transcriptome is somewhat different from or more interesting from tumor mutational burden PDL-1 than other biomarkers that we currently use? And that question is for you Alberto to start off.  Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo: So I think gene expression profiles may have a predictive performance as compared to already existing biomarkers and this was one of the points that we describe in our manuscript. The gene expression signature that we developed back in 2019 at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology was initially developed based on over 45 different tumor types and tested in over 1000 patients treated with antiPD-1 and anti PDL-1. And back then and in this manuscript, we proved that for instance the gene expression signature VIGex that we developed has a potential complementary role to other predictive biomarkers. In this case, we observe this predictive power with ctDNA dynamics and we then see a correlation with other existing biomarkers such as tumor mutational burden. So I don't think we need to use one or the other, but rather they may have additive predictive power. So we need to better individualize predictive biomarkers based on tumor types and select the best combination possible to improve the performance.  Dr. Rafeh Naqash: I completely agree that one size does not fit all, especially in the landscape of immunotherapy. From your perspective, when you developed the original signature, how did you choose what genes to look at? I looked at the manuscript, on the methodology side, some of the signatures are pro-inflammatory STING interferon gamma based, so how did you try to identify that these are the 7 to 10 or whatever number of signatures on the transcriptome side? And then why did you try to combine it with ctDNA based changes?  Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo: Back in our initial manuscript, published in Med from Cell Press, we developed the VIGex gene expression signature, as I mentioned, with taking into consideration over 1000 tumor samples from FFPE that we can consider real world samples because they are from real patients coming from the clinic notes as part of real investigational protocol doing or performing biopsies on patients. We did observe after doing a VIGex research and doing different tests, we eventually collected these 12 different genes. Because there is a combination of both genes involved in the interferon gamma pathway, we have genes associated with Tregs as well as T cell memory cells. So it's not only looking at genes that are associated with T cell activation or CD8+ T cell infiltration, but also looking at genes that may be overactivated, overexpressed, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. So it was both selecting genes, the minimum number of genes to do it more scalable and having the minimum dataset of genes and including in the signature genes that are already at targets for immune sequent inhibitors or are being tested in immunotherapy combinations.  Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thank you. And Phil, for the sake of our listeners, could you elaborate upon this aspect of using ctDNA? So this was tumor-informed ctDNA from what I understood in the manuscript. You guys basically try to use it to understand changes in the ctDNA with treatment and then try to combine it with the transcriptome signature. How did the idea come up initially and how did you plan on combining this with an RNA-based signature? Because I have seen manuscripts and other data where people are either using one or the other, but not necessarily both together. So how did you guys come up with that idea? Dr. Philippe Bedard: Well, we thought that this was a great opportunity to look at the combination of the transcriptome as well as the ctDNA dynamics because we had run an investigator-initiated phase 2 clinical trial called INSPIRE at our institution at Princess Margaret from 2016 to 2018, where patients across five different tumor groups received single agent pembrolizumab. And we really did a deep dive on these patients where there were tumor biopsies before and while on treatment. We did exome sequencing, we did RNA sequencing to capture the transcriptome. And in a prior analysis, we had partnered with Natera to look at their Signatera assay, which is a bespoke ctDNA assay, to look at ctDNA dynamics using this test and the association with response outcomes as well as survival outcomes. So we thought that this was a really unique data set to try and address the question of whether or not there was complementarity in terms of looking at the transcriptome and transcriptome signatures of IO benefit together with the ctDNA dynamics. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: From a patient treatment standpoint, it sounded like you mostly tried to include individuals who were treated with pembrolizumab. Did this not include individuals who were treated with chemoimmunotherapy or chemotherapy with pembrolizumab? Just pembrolizumab alone? And if that's the case, some of the tumor types there included, from what I remember, ovarian cancer and some other unusual cancers that don't necessarily have approvals for single agent pembrolizumab, but perhaps in the TMB-high setting. So can you elaborate on the patient selection there for the study?  Dr. Philippe Bedard: Yeah, that's a great question. So at the time that the study was designed in 2015, this was really the early days of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, so we didn't have the approvals that we have now in specific tumor types for immunotherapy and chemotherapy combinations. So when the study was designed as an investigator initiated clinical trial, the idea was really to capture patients across different tumor types - so head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, ovarian cancer, triple negative breast cancer, and a kind of mixed histology solid tumor cohort, where we knew that there were some patients who were going to be immunotherapy responsive, where there was already approvals or evidence of single agent activity, and others where the responses were more anecdotal, to try and understand in a phase 2 clinical trial with kind of a deep dive, which patients benefited from treatment and which didn't. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Interesting approach. Going to the results, Alberto, could you help us understand some of the important findings from these data? Because there's different sections of how you tried to look at the response rates, the survival, looking at the immune deconvolution, if you could explain that. Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo: So the first thing that we tried was to further confirm the external validation of this immune gene expression signature, VIGex in the INSPIRE asset. So what we observed at VIGex-Hot, the category defined by VIGex-Hot tumor microenvironment, was associated with better progression free survival. After including that in a multivariable analysis adjusted by other biomarkers such as TMB, PDL-1 or tumor type, this was also confirmed for overall survival. So then the next step was to really try to hypothesize if the addition of ctDNA dynamics, taking into consideration the ctDNA quantification at baseline as compared to cycle three, if those dynamics could further improve the predictive performance of VIGex categories taken in the baseline samples. What we did observe was that, for instance, VIGex-Hot tumors in baseline tumor samples that were having a ctDNA decrease, as I mentioned before on cycle three assessment as compared to baseline, were having both better progression free survival and better prognosis overall. Another important finding was the evaluation of response rate across tumor types considering both biomarkers. I would say the most important finding is that when we were considering a cold tumor microenvironment in baseline samples before pembrolizumab initiation plus an increase in ctDNA values, what we observed is that those patients were having a 0% response rate. So this may help as a future strategy either for intensification of immunotherapy regimens in a more individualized way or for an early stop to immunotherapy and try to avoid financial toxicities as well as toxicities for our patients. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: From the data that you showed, it seems that there was a strong correlation, as you sort of mentioned, between individuals that had ctDNA clearance and baseline immune pro-inflammatory signatures. So do you really need the transcriptome signature or could the ctDNA just serve as an easy quick surrogate? Because from a cost standpoint, doing whole transcriptome sequencing or more RNA sequencing or tissue standpoint, where tissue is often limited, can become a big issue. So do you think that validation of this may perhaps more revolve around using ctDNA as an easier metric or surrogate? Or am I overestimating the utility of ctDNA? Dr. Philippe Bedard: I think it's a really good question. In our data set which was relatively small, there were 10 patients who had ctDNA clearance, meaning ctDNA that was positive at baseline was not detected. And so 9 out of those 10 patients, as you alluded to, were VIGex-Hot. So the question is a good one, could you do the same with just ctDNA clearance alone, particularly in identifying these patients who really do well, who have long term disease control on immunotherapy? I think it's a tough question to answer because the field is also changing in terms of sensitivity of detection of ctDNA tests. So we know now that there are newer generations of tests which can detect even at logs down in terms of allele variants in the circulation. So I think we need more data to address the question. I think it is important as to what is the best test, what is the endpoint that we should be using from a drug development point of view in terms of really trying to push and understand which treatment regimens are the most effective and have early readouts in terms of activity. Because we all recognize in the clinic that radiographic response doesn't tell the whole story, especially early radiographic assessments using RECIST or other criteria that we apply in clinical trials. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: From a clinical trial standpoint, we often talk about validation of these studies. You may have heard of other tests where, for example, the NCI iMatch, which is incorporating transcriptome sequencing based approach to stratify patients as an integral biomarker for treatment stratification. Is that something that you guys are thinking of using, this approach where individuals who are signature highly inflamed perhaps get lesser therapies or there's a de-intensification of some sort similar to what people are trying to do with ctDNA-based approaches? Dr. Philippe Bedard: I think that's a great question. I think it makes a lot of sense. And certainly, with the new wave antibody drug conjugates in terms of identifying patients who have expression of targets for antibody drug conjugates, that's very attractive as an approach because we don't necessarily have IHC markers for all of the different targets of antibody drug conjugates. We don't necessarily have IHC markers to completely understand different contributions to the tumor microenvironment and whether or not tumors are inflamed. But it's also a challenging approach too because RNA-seq currently is not a routine clinical test. Sometimes there are issues, particularly in patients who have stored specimens that are formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded in terms of the quality of the RNA for RNA sequencing. And it's not always feasible to get pre-treatment biopsies and turn them around in an approach. So I think it is an attractive approach for clinical trials, but it's a hypothesis that needs to be tested. It's not something that is ready for clinical prime time today in 2024. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: One of the other interesting observations that I came across in your manuscript was that tumor mutational burden, interestingly, did not correlate with signature high tumors. What is the explanation for that? Because generally you would expect a TMB high to perhaps also have an immune gene high signature. Could it have something to do with the tumor types because there was a heterogeneous mixture of tumor type? Or I'm not sure. What else could you possibly think of that you didn't see those correlations or just sample size limitations? Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo: Yes. So our findings are consistent with prior data suggesting for instance T cell inflamed gene expression profile was also not correlated with tumor mutational burden and both biomarkers in a prior publication. So to have additive predictive performance for identifying patients most likely to benefit from anti PD-1 regimen, so we somehow were expecting this observation, the fact that both biomarkers are not very correlated. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: So given the proof of concept findings from your study, Phil, what is the next interesting step that you guys are thinking of to expand this? Would you think that a nivolumab-ipilimumab treated cohort would have similar findings? Or is this a treatment specific single agent immunotherapy specific correlation that you found versus something else that you may find in a nivo-ipi cohort or a doublet immune checkpoint cohort?  Dr. Philippe Bedard: The findings are really hypothesis generating. They require additional validation. And you're quite right, there may be nuances in terms of specific tumor types, combinations with other immunotherapy or combinations with chemotherapy or other agents. So I think it would be great if there are other data sets that are collecting this type of information that have ctDNA dynamics and also have transcriptome and potentially exome or genome analysis to look at these types of questions because the field is moving quickly and we really need more data sets in order to understand some of the nuances and greater numbers to validate the signals that we see. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: And one thing, as you said, the field is definitely moving very quickly. I was meeting with a company an hour back and they have an imaging-based approach using fresh tissue to look at pharmacodynamic biomarkers. And I used to work in the NCI with a group that was very interested and they developed an immuno-oncology pharmacodynamic panel that has been used and published in a few clinical trials where they did phosphorylation status. So the final theme that comes out of most of these research based studies that are being done is that one size does not fit all. But the question that comes to my mind is how many things do you necessarily need to combine to get to a predictive biomarker that is useful, that is patient centric, and that perhaps is able to identify the right therapy for the right patient. What is your take on that, Phil?  Dr. Philippe Bedard: Yeah, that's a great question too. The challenge is it depends on the context in terms of what degree of positive predictive value do you need as well as the negative predictive value to drive clinical decisions. So I think in certain situations where you don't have other approved treatment options and with a therapy that is potentially low toxicity and low financial toxicity, then I think the bar is very high in terms of being able to really confidently identify that patients aren't going to benefit. I think the nuance and the challenge becomes when you move into earlier lines of therapy, or when you talk about combinations of agents, or trying to understand within the context of other available options, particularly with treatments that have significant side effect profiles as well as financial risks, then it becomes a much more nuanced question and you really need comparative studies to understand how it fits versus the existing treatment paradigm. So I'm not really answering your question with a specific number because I think it's hard to give you a number. Some of that we also need input from patients in terms of what kind of level of validation do you need and what kind of level of discrimination do you need in order to drive decisions that are meaningful for them. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Definitely early days, as you pointed out. More and more work in this field will hopefully lead us in the direction that we all want to go in.  Now, going to a different aspect of this podcast, which is trying to understand the trajectories for both of you, Phil and Alberto. And as you mentioned, this project seemed to have started in 2015. So I'm guessing there's a history there between Princess Margaret and Vall d'Hebron. Could you highlight that a little bit? And then perhaps, Alberto, after that you could tell us a little bit about your career when you worked at Princess Margaret as a fellow and then now back at Vall d'Hebron. Phil, you as well. Dr. Philippe Bedard: So absolutely. We have a long history of collaborating with Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona. It's really a great cancer institution with a lot of like minded individuals. We have a formal partnership and we have a lot of informal links in terms of scientists and clinicians who we work with and who we collaborate with on early phase clinical trials, as well as through different investigator networks and other translational projects. So this was really how this collaboration came about and we were fortunate to have Alberto, who came to work with us for two years and brought this great idea of looking at this signature they had developed at Vall d'Hebron in their phase one group and applying it to a data set that we had through the INSPIRE clinical trial.  Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Sounds like a very successful academia-academic collaboration, which is very nice to see. So, Alberto, could you tell us a little bit about your career trajectory and how you ended up at Princess Margaret and then back at Vall d'Hebron and what you do currently? Dr. Alberto Hernando-Calvo: Yes. So I did my oncology residency at Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. Then I decided to further specialize in early drug development as well as head and neck cancer oncology. So I decided to pursue a clinical research fellowship under the supervision of Phil Bedard, among others. And so we decided to further validate the signature that we had developed both in the cancer genomic lab at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology and the phase one unit at Vall d'Hebron, and apply the signature that have been originally tested in patients receiving anti PD-1 or anti PDL-1 combinations in early phase clinical trials. In the phase 2 clinical trial of INSPIRE, where we also had ctDNA dynamics and allowed us to test both biomarkers and see that additive predictive power when we were using both. That was one of my research topics under the mentorship of Dr. Bedard and my fellowship at Princess Margaret. And this was one of the manuscripts describing all the findings of this collaboration between Vall d'Hebron and Princess Margaret Cancer Center. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: And then, Phil, if you could highlight some of the things that you've done over the course of your career and perhaps some advice for early career junior investigators and trainees.  Dr. Philippe Bedard: I finished my oncology, medical oncology training at the University of Toronto in 2008. And then I did a breast cancer fellowship in Brussels at Breast International Group. At the time, I was really intrigued because it was really kind of the early days of microarray and RNA signatures in terms of expressing signatures were being used as part of a clinical trial that BIG was running called the MINDACT Study. And so when I finished my fellowship, I came back to Princess Margaret, started on staff. I've been here now for 15 years. I was fortunate to work with the phase 1 group and kind of my career has sort of morphed in terms of early drug development as well as genomics. I've been involved with the American Association for Cancer Research project GENIE, where I'm the current chair. This is really an international data sharing project with panel based sequencing, which both Princess Margaret and Vall d'Hebron have contributed to. And I've been fortunate to work with a number of really talented early career investigators like Alberto, who spend time with us in our drug development program and launched transitional research projects that leverage some existing data sets at their own institutions and also bring together with different research groups at our institution to lead to publications like this one. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thank you so much. This was very exciting. Phil and Albert, thanks for joining us today and thank you for allowing us to discuss your interesting manuscript and hopefully we'll see more of this biomarker work from you guys in the near future, perhaps published in JCO Precision Oncology.   And thank you for listening to JCO Precision Oncology Conversations. Don't forget to give us a rating or review and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all ASCO shows at asco.org/podcasts.     The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions.  Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: ONTARIO PROPOSES EMPOWERING NURSE PRACTITIONERS TO LEAD MEDICAL CARE IN LTC FACILITIES Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Physician at Humber River Hospital. Ontario's new long-term care bill proposal would allow nurse practitioners to oversee residents' medical care, replacing physician medical directors. The bill also mandates dementia care programs and addresses abuse. Funding for adult day programs, and two innovative pilot projects focusing on emotional care and home-based services is also included. CANADA'S TOBACCO GIANTS PIVOT TO WELLNESS PRODUCTS AMID LANDMARK $32.5B SETTLEMENT Libby is joined by Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada and Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society. Canada's top tobacco companies may face a landmark class-action settlement to cover healthcare costs, damages to smokers, and fund research. Smoking rates have dropped from 27% to 12% in the past 25 years, with teen smoking falling to just 2%. Some provinces are considering age-based sales bans. FORD'S LEGISLATION TO DISMANTLE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS DELAYED UNTIL NEXT YEAR Libby is joined by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. Ontario has proposed legislation to allow the removal of homeless encampments and expand police powers on public drug use, following requests from 12 city mayors. However, the bill won't be debated or passed until early next year.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: NEW FERTILITY PRESERVATION METHOD GIVES YOUNG CANCER PATIENTS HOPE FOR HAVING CHILDREN LATER Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto, Provincial Co-Lead General Medicine, Dr. Alisa Naiman, family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto and Dr. Aaron Schimmer, Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist. Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie promises every resident will have a family doctor within four years, but is this feasible? Meanwhile, former Liberal health minister Jane Philpott is tasked with finding a solution for the PC government. In Alberta, innovative treatments help young cancer patients preserve fertility, and with Australia facing a record flu season, how will Canada respond? Plus, RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine stance could impact public health policies across North America. MINISTER WHO WAS PRESENT SAYS TRUMP'S REMARK ABOUT CANADA BECOMING THE 51ST STATE WAS A JOKE Libby is joined by Bob Richardson, Public Affairs Consultant and Will Stewart, Conservative Strategist and Senior Vice President with Enterprise Canada. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself on a mountaintop beside a large Canadian flag, sparking buzz by suggesting Canada could become the 51st state. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who attended the Mar-a-Lago dinner, downplays the image as a joke and hails it as a symbol of strong U.S.-Canada relations. BONNIE CROMBIE JOINS FIGHT BACK TO TALK ABOUT HER PRIMARY CARE PLAN Libby is joined by Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie. Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie has promised to ensure every resident in the province has a primary care doctor within four years if elected. This ambitious plan comes as Ontario faces a significant shortage, with 2.5 million people currently without a family doctor. Will it be enough to address the root cause of many healthcare issues?

THE MEDICAL RECORD: DO YOU CARE ABOUT CALORIE COUNTS? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto, and Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Libby gives an update post-cataract procedure and we explore a study out of England that reveals the extent to which calorie counts actually influence our menu choices when we go to restaurants.  CALLS FOR PM TRUDEAU TO INCLUDE RETIREES IN HIS $250 REBATE Libby Znaimer is now joined by Will Stewart, a Conservative Strategist and Senior Vice President with Enterprise Canada, and Tom Parkin, a social Democratic commentator. PM Trudeau has excluded some very important groups from the $250 rebate cheques his government will be sending out to some 18.7 million Canadians. One of those important groups are pensioners who still pay tax! We've heard from our listeners who called in to express their disappointment about it. Opposition leaders in Ottawa are calling on Trudeau to make it so that they are included. HOW THE LOONIE'S DROP IN VALUE IS IMPACTING CANADIAN SHOPPERS + THOSE TRAVELLING TO U.S.  Libby Znaimer is joined by Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal and Stephen Fine, President & Managing Editor of SnowbirdAdvisor.ca. How are Canadian shoppers and those travelling to the U.S. being impacted by the drop in the value of the loonie? Our experts weigh in.

RECOVERING POLITICIANS PANEL:  PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP'S TARIFF THREAT & FORD GOVERNMENT PASSES LEGISLATION ON BIKE LANES Libby Znaimer is joined by George Smitherman, former Ontario Liberal Health minister and Deputy Premier, Cheri DiNovo, Ontario NDP MPP and Janet Ecker, a former Ontario PC MPP and finance minister. This week:  President-elect Trump threatens Canada and Mexico with a 25 percent tariff on goods and the Ford government passes legislation pertaining to bike lanes. THE ZOOMER RADIO PRINCESS MARGARET CANCER CENTRE RADIOTHON  Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Aaron Schimmer, Senior Scientist and Research Director at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Keith Stewart, Vice President, Cancer and Director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network. Welcome to Zoomer Radio's fourth annual radiothon in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.  Today, we highlight the important work being done at PMCC and the latest research and innovations regarding treatment. To donate, visit zoomerradiothon.ca or call 1-888-388-3308.

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  A MEASLES OUTBREAK & CATARACT PROCEDURES Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a family doctor based in Toronto and Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and a general internist at a Toronto hospital. We discuss a measles virus outbreak in New Brunswick, get reaction to Donald Trump nominating RFK Jr. to head the U.S. government Department of Health and Human Services and what to consider if you are undergoing a cataract procedure. IT'S WORLD COPD DAY Libby Znaimer is joined by Henry Roberts, Director and a co-founder of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Canada. Today marks World COPD Day. COPD is a progressive lung disease with symptoms like shortness of breath and chest tightness to name just a few. It affects about 1.5 million Canadians and possibly about a million more who are undiagnosed. Henry is here to raise awareness and answers listeners' questions.

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  WHAT IS THE ONE MEAL A DAY DIET? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing in Toronto,  and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. Have you heard of the one meal a day diet? It's a dietary trend that even high-profile figures like Bruce Springsteen subscribes to. The question is: how healthy is it for you? We discuss that and other health related topics of the week. HOW TORONTO IS PREPARING FOR TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERTS     Libby Znaimer is joined by Stuart Green, spokesperson with the TTC, Trevor Brodie, Director of Operations at Amsterdam Brewhouse and Tony Elenis, President and CEO of The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA) Our local restaurants, hotels, and public services have been in preparation mode ahead of Taylor Swift's concert series and the wave of fans coming into town for that. THE STATUS OF TORONTO POLICE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION     Libby Znaimer is now joined by Clayton Campbell, President of the Toronto Police Association. Toronto Police Services is hiring! Their board adopted a motion for a five year plan. The TPA discusses recruitment and also the resources they require as they deal with auto theft and more.

THE MEDICAL RECORD PANEL: ONTARIO LAUNCHING A NURSING PROGRAM & CANCER PATIENTS IN THE ER  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak,  General Internist at Unity Health Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, and Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. This week: there's an interesting study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on people going to emergency rooms just before being diagnosed with cancer, or being diagnosed with cancer while there. On the positive side, the first new nursing program in 20 years was announced. It comes after the Ford government announced restrictions on medical school admission designed to boost the number of doctors here in Ontario. DONALD TRUMP HAS WON THE U.S. ELECTION Libby Znaimer is joined by Whitley Yates, a Republican strategist and founder and owner of The Niche Agency, as well as Dr. Chris Cooper, a Political Science Professor at Western Carolina University. After months of coverage and dramatic twists and turns in the U.S. Presidential contest, Donald Trump secured a decisive victory. We discuss that and analyze some of the promises he's made during the campaign. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE UPDATED COVID-19 VACCINES AVAILABLE NOW Libby is joined by Pharmacist Molly Yang, Director of Pharmacy Innovation; Professional Affairs at Whole Health Pharmacy. Have you had the latest COVID-19 booster? What about the flu shot? The latest guidance is to take them together, but there are also other vaccines Zoomers should be getting to prevent difficult and possibly debilitating bouts of illness.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: FLU SHOTS AND COVID-19 SHOTS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE IN ONTARIO  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, an internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. It's time to get vaccinated - against both COVID-19 and the flu. They are now available for everyone - not just older people and those who are immunocompromised, and the recommendation is to get them both together. Another topic today is the Canadian Medical Association is calling for an end to the requirement for doctor's notes for employees grappling with brief illnesses. QUEBEC'S PLANS FOR ADVANCED REQUESTS FOR MAiD  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Wayne Sumner, University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto, and Ron Posno, a patient with dementia and an advocate for advance requests for MAiD. We discuss Quebec's plans for advanced requests for MAiD for patients dealing with health conditions that will limit their ability to make such a decision when their condition worsens. And we also discuss how the federal government has responded to Quebec on this issue.   SHRINKFLATION IMPACTING HALLOWEEN CANDY?   Libby Znaimer is joined by Libby Znaimer is joined by Bruce Winder, a Retail Analyst & Author and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Why and to what extent is "shrinkflation" impacting Halloween candy this year? Our guests explain.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: REPORT ON DISEASE SURVEILLANCE Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto who served as a Scientific Advisor of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Aaron Schimmer, the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist and Dr. Nadia Alam, a Georgetown, Ontario family doctor and anesthetist.  Even though it hasn't been long since we've been out of the COVID pandemic, according to a new report it's time to start preparing for the next global health crisis. COURT CHALLENGE AGAINST FORD GOV'T OVER ORCHARD VILLA LICENSE Jane Brown is joined by Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition and Cathy Parkes, whose father passed away at Orchard Villa during the pandemic. Both Cathy and the Ontario Health Coalition are presenting a court challenge this week over the Ford government's decision to greenlight a new 30-year license to Orchard Villa. They want the lease quashed by the court. TORONTO'S ACTION PLAN TO KEEP ITS "ECONOMY THRIVING"  Jane Brown is joined by Toronto City Councillor Shelley Carroll (Don Valley North) who is also Chair of the Budget Committee and co-chair of the Economic Advisory Panel. Toronto's mayor and the city's budget chief have both just announced a new staff report and plan called Sidewalks to Skylines: An Action Plan for Toronto's economy. We get clarity on what it's all about.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SCURVY   Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor in Toronto and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. Scurvy - a disease we thought was consigned to the history books - has reappeared and food insecurity seems to be the culprit here according to a study published in in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. And, what a study out of the University of Waterloo tells us about breakfast. CRTC WANTS CANADA'S BIG CELL PROVIDERS TO LOWER THEIR INTERNATIONAL ROAMING FEES Libby Znaimer is now joined by Jean-François Mezei, a telecommunications consultant based in Montreal and Carmi Levy,  a technology analyst and journalist based in London, Ontario The CRTC wants Canada's three big cell companies--Bell, Rogers and Telus--to reduce their international roaming charges. We take a deep dive into what these companies are currently charging customers and how it compares to other countries in the world. HAVE YOUR GROOMING HABITS CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC?  Libby is joined by Bernadette Morra, the former Editor-in-chief of FASHION magazine and now a luxury lifestyle writer, as well as Derick Chetty, a fashion professional with Zoomer Media. A Globe and Mail article on this very topic piqued our interest. If you are working from home, has that changed anything about your grooming practices? And what about those of us who are retired?

Oncotarget #published this #editorial on September 30, 2024, in Volume 15, entitled “Lessons from the ACDC-RP trial: Clinical trial design for radical prostatectomy neoadjuvant therapy trials” by Rashid K. Sayyid and Neil E. Fleshner from the Division of Urologic Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada. DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28648 Correspondence to - Rashid K. Sayyid - rksayyid@gmail.com Video short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APkPoTlXBWY Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28648 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, clinical trial, prostatic neoplasms, neoadjuvant therapy, chemotherapy; androgen receptor agonist About Oncotarget Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science. Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science). To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

THE MEDICAL RECORD: WHY BREAST CANCER RATES ARE RISING AMONG YOUNGER WOMEN   Marissa Lennox is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Alisa Naiman,  a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, and Dr. Amol Verma, a clinician-scientist and staff physician in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and new research from the American Cancer Society shows breast cancer rates are rising among younger women, particularly those under 50. What's driving this rise? How should we be rethinking screening and awareness? And, with everything we know about early diagnosis saving lives, why are so many young women not getting diagnosed until later stages? IRAN ATTACKS ISRAEL TARGETING CIVILIANS & ISRAEL VOWS TO RESPOND Marissa Lennox is now joined by Richard Goldberg, a Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies who served on the White House National Security Council staff. He was also sanctioned by Iran in 2008. Yesterday, the world watched as Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at Israel directly targeting civilians across the country. Most of those missiles were intercepted successfully by Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate saying, “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay the price for it”. So, how exactly does Iran's terror attack change the war  and how might Israel actually respond? ONTARIO INCREASES THE MINIMUM WAGE    Marissa Lennox is now joined by Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal. Yesterday, Ontario increased the minimum hourly wage from $16.55 to $17.20. What are the implications of that as people grapple with the higher cost of living?

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  SYNTHETIC BONES FOR CANCER AND TRAUMA PATIENTS? Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and former Scientific Director of the COVID-19 Ontario Science Table, and Dr. Alisa Naiman,  a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. This week: we take a deep dive into the controversial Bill 7 here in Ontario (aka More Beds, Better Care Act) which is being challenged in court. And, a team out of the University of Waterloo is 3-D printing synthetic bone with the aim of helping cancer and trauma patients. SOME OF THE CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR DON VALLEY WEST COUNCILLOR Libby Znaimer is now joined by Anthony Furey, Rachel Chernos Lin and Dhruv Jain, all three of whom are among the candidates for City Councillor for Ward 15 Don Valley West. What are the priorities of some of the candidates running in the current Don Valley West municipal byelection in Toronto? ONTARIO EDUCATION MINISTER JILL DUNLOP LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO TDSB  Libby Znaimer is now joined by Tamara Gotlieb, founding member of Jewish Educators and Family Association of Canada. Ontario's Education Minister Jill Dunlop has launched an investigation into the TDSB after students were taken to a demonstration about mercury poisoning within Grassy Nation First Nation that turned into an anti-Israel protest. And, the TDSB is holding a "special meeting" tonight. Will they be getting to the bottom of what happened?

MEDICAL RECORD: WHAT A NEW STUDY TELLS US ABOUT THE USE OF AI IN TREATING HOSPITAL PATIENTS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor in Toronto, Dr. Amol Verma, Clinician-Scientist at St. Michael's Hospital and Temerty Professor of AI Research and Education in Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Aaron Schimmer, the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist. Today we discuss a groundbreaking study co-authored by Dr. Amol Verma on the use of AI and how it has contributed to a 26 percent reduction in unexpected deaths for patients being treated in hospital. And, should we be moving away from the Body Mass Index and instead use the Body Roundness Index (also known as BRI)? THE DEBATE AROUND THE FILM "RUSSIANS AT WAR" WHICH SPARKED CONTROVERSY AT THIS YEAR'S TIFF Libby Znaimer is now joined by freelance journalist Justin Ling and Chris Alexander, Canada's former ambassador to Afghanistan and Minister of Immigration under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Russians at War" was going to premiere at TIFF this year but was cancelled amid public backlash and protest. The festival said they suspended the screenings of the film in response to "significant threats". But this week, the film was back on. Yesterday's screening was greeted by another demonstration by members of the Ukrainian community and supporters claiming that this was just a piece of Russian propaganda. Was this censorship or an attempt to fend off Russian propaganda from infiltrating us and influencing our elections and our people? PIERRE POILIEVRE EXPECTED TO INTRODUCE NON- CONFIDENCE MOTION NEXT WEEK Libby Znaimer is joined by Bob Richardson, a Public Affairs Consultant, and Jason Lietaer, a Conservative Strategist and President of Enterprise. Pierre Poilievre is set to introduce a non-confidence motion next week. The question is, can the Conservatives get the support they need from the Bloc Québécois and NDP? And, if they fail, what can we expect from the Conservatives in future in terms of trying to get a vote of non-confidence? Meanwhile, did you see the video of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh confronting protestors on Parliament Hill? Did he do a good job of responding to the situation?

Testis cancer! We don't talk enough about this on GU Cast. But we are making up for it today with a cracking overview of three hot topics in testis cancer a couple of  world-leading testis cancer experts. We are joined by Rob Hamilton (Urologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto), and Ben Tran (Medical Oncologist, Peter Mac, Melbourne) to discuss changes in surveillance for stage 1 seminoma, changes in the management of stage 2 seminoma (including robotic RPLND), and miRNA as a really useful biomarker. A really lively discussion on three really topical areas in testis cancers. Even better on our YouTube channel We recorded this one at the ANUP Annual Scientific Meeting in July 2024. You can find a full GU Cast covering the rest of the ANZUP24 highlights here 

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  COVID-19 HASN'T GONE AWAY & WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HYPERTENSION Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, a Medical Oncologist with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of BC Cancer, Dr. Fahad Razak, a General Internist based in Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. Do you know someone in your circles who currently has or is getting over COVID-19? Our doctors weigh in on the spike in cases, as well as the importance of keeping track of your blood pressure as you age. CALLS INTENSIFY FOR CUPE'S FRED HAHN TO RESIGN Jane Brown is now joined by Amir Epstein, Executive Director of Tafsik, a grassroots organization dedicated to combating antisemitism around the world, and Salman Sima, a former political prisoner from Iran who joined a protest this week calling for CUPE's Fred Hahn to resign. The calls for CUPE's Fred Hahn to step down are intensifying. This past Tuesday, a demonstration with a large turnout from the Jewish community took place outside of the CUPE office in Thornhill asking him to go. WHY SCHOOLS ARE FACING A TEACHER AND STAFF SHORTAGE Jane Brown is now joined by Annie Kidder, Executive Director, People for Public Education, and Karen Littlewood, President and CEO of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF). The return to school for our kids and grandkids is right around the corner, and as highlighted by The Peak this morning, schools across the country are grappling with a shortage of teachers and staff. So, what are the contributing factors and what are the potential solutions to address the problem?

Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind has been privileged to interview some truly brilliant specialists, and this week's guest is no exception. Professor Anthony Joshua is the Head of Oncology at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre and St Vincent's Health in Sydney. He is a globally recognised expert in genitourinary cancers and melanoma, with a special interest in ocular melanoma. Professor Joshua completed his PhD in prostatic carcinogenesis under the supervision of Dr Jeremy Squire and a clinical fellowship under Dr Ian Tannock. He worked at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre before returning down under and has helped reshape cancer care at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre, making it one of the largest trial centres in New South Wales. Today, Professor Joshua discusses his journey, the landscape of prostate cancer, and some of his research in the area of ocular melanoma. Professor Anthony Joshua is not a professional British boxer. To find out more about Professor Anthony Joshua's research portfolio, click hereFor more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.comPlease find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at inquisitiveonc@gmail.comSpotify Link to Prof Joshua's podcast, Dangerous Ideas in Drug Development: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nectaOncology for the Inquisitive Mind is recorded with the support of education grants from Pfizer, Gilead Pharmaceuticals and Merck Pharmaceuticals. Our partners have no editorial rights or early previews, and they have access to the episode at the same time you do.Art courtesy of Taryn SilverMusic courtesy of AlisiaBeats: https://pixabay.com/users/alisiabeats-39461785/Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: A CONCERNING STUDY ON ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Fahad Razak, a Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and General Internist based in Toronto, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. Today on the show: our experts weigh in on concerning research linking a certain artificial sweetener--erythritol-- to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke. And, they explore an alternative treatment to the epipen when it comes to allergic reactions. CANADA'S POLICE CHIEFS CALL FOR HELP AMID A RISE IN PROTESTS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Thomas Carrique, Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and President of The Canadian Association of Police Chiefs. Commissioner Carrique explains the call by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police on all levels of government to provide additional "financial" and "moral" support as they face an increase in protests. And, he reacts to the news of bomb threats sent to Jewish organizations, synagogues and some hospitals across Canada this morning. MORE LOCAL TORONTO BUSINESSES HURTING DUE TO CONSTRUCTION Libby Znaimer is joined by Chris Theofanidis, Owner of Rise and Dine Eatery and Christine Fedirchuk, Owner of Urban Renewals, both of which are located in East York. Construction in East York is hurting local businesses--many of them mom and pop shops. And according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), within the last five years, almost 75 percent of small businesses in the country say they've taken the hit from construction projects.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: UPTICK IN MPOX CASES, HEALTHCARE WORKER BURNOUT & CANCER PROJECTIONS FOR MEN Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency; Dr. Fahad Razak, a Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and General Internist at Unity Health Toronto; and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, to discuss the medical news of the day. AMO SURVEY ON HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is asking the province for guidance on how to handle the growing number of homeless encampments in the province. Libby Znaimer is joined by Andrea Horwath, Mayor of Hamilton; and Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph to discuss this issue. CANADA'S POLICE CHIEFS CALL FOR HELP AMID A RISE IN PROTESTS The frequency of protests linked to both domestic and global issues is creating an "unsustainable demand" on policing services across the country, and they are asking governments of all levels to provide the "moral and financial support" necessary to meet the demand for service. Canadian public affairs commentator, consultant, lawyer, policy analyst and writer Tasha Kheiriddin joins Libby Znaimer to drill down on this matter. IS CANADA'S FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM A 'BREEDING GROUND' FOR MODERN SLAVERY? A recently released report by a United Nations special rapporteur says Canada's temporary foreign worker program is a “breeding ground” for contemporary slavery. Libby Znaimer is joined by Guidy Mamann, Toronto immigration lawyer and Partner at Mamann & Sandaluk LLP Immigration Lawyers to discuss this issue.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: WHY ARE MEN MORE RELUCTANT TO VISIT THE DOCTOR? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Fahad Razak, a Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto and General Internist at Unity Health Toronto, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. Today: a rural town in Ontario has a creative plan in an effort to attract family doctors to work there. And, why is it that men are more reluctant to pay a visit to the doctor? Meanwhile, last week we started the conversation about cracking down on for pay services that are in the gray zone - one of them being virtual visits with doctors in other areas - there's research which shows that virtual visits with a doctor who knows the patient are great but with someone who is unfamiliar - not so much. BYLAW CHARGES LAID AGAINST COMPANIES FOR BIN LEFT ON BIKE LANE WHERE CYCLIST WAS KILLED Libby Znaimer is now joined by Criminal Defense Lawyer Ari Goldkind. Ari reacts to the news that companies are facing bylaw charges after a garbage bin was illegally placed on a Bloor Street West bike lane where a 24 year old cyclist was killed a couple of weeks ago. And Libby has more questions about how and when police choose to lay charges. Yesterday we heard about yet another illegal protest - this one had about 40 people on Jarvis near the ramp and blocking the highway. OTTAWA UPDATES TRAVEL ADVISORY TO THE UK AMID RIOTS Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Stephanie Carvin, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University and an expert on national security issues, and Dr. Stephanie Baker, a sociologist at City University of London who researches the far right. Ottawa has updated a travel advisory cautioning those going to the UK to exercise caution amid riots. So, what is fueling those riots and what has happened there so far?

THE MEDICAL RECORD: IS EXPANDING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF PHARMACISTS IN ONTARIO A GOOD IDEA?  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto and Dr. Alon Vaisman, Infectious diseases physician at the University Health Network (UHN).  Our panel reacts to the province ending its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program, and other healthcare news of the week.  THE LATEST WAVE OF ANTISEMITISM TARGETING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY Libby Znaimer is joined by MP Melissa Lantsman,  Deputy leader of the Conservative Party (Thornhill) as well as Richard Robertson,  Director of Research and Advocacy at B'nai Brith Canada and Rabbi Jeff Forman of City of David Messianic Synagogue. What we know about the latest wave of antisemitic attacks on the local Jewish community--this time in Vaughan--and our guests weigh in on whether our government leaders, at all levels, are doing enough to address the problem of antisemitism.  TERROR CHARGES LAID IN GTA & HAMAS LEADER ASSASSINATED IN IRAN Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Stephanie Carvin, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University and an expert on national security issues, as well as Phil Gurski, President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting and a former Senior Strategic Analyst at CSIS. A father and son were arrested and charged for terrorism related offences according to the RCMP. And, what we know so far about the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr.  

THE MEDICAL RECORD: WHAT THE CMA OUTLINES IN ITS LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto, Dr. Aaron Schimmer,  the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist and Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, Family Physician and Founder PrimeHealth Clinical Research. Today: our panel of doctors react to draft recommendations made by the Canadian Medical Association and also how doctors communicate with their patients about stress and managing it.  BANK OF CANADA CUTS KEY INTEREST RATE TO 4.5 PERCENT Libby Znaimer is now joined by Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work. We have learned this morning that the Bank of Canada has cut the key interest rate to 4.5 per cent. So, what are the implications of this on peoples' mortgages and more? PROVINCIAL FUNDING WILL MEAN 24/7 CONSTRUCTION WORK OF GARDINER EXPRESSWAY + SPEEDING UP TIMELINE OF EXPECTED COMPLETION Libby Znaimer is joined by Councillor Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York. The province is providing funding so that Gardiner Expressway construction can be done 24/7 and the expected timeline for completion can be moved up a year.

Sue Yom, our Editor in Chief, hosts a discussion of two related articles, Temporal Evolution and Diagnostic Diversification of Patients Receiving Proton Therapy in the United States: A Ten-Year Trend Analysis (2012-21) from the National Association for Proton Therapy and Improving Access to Proton Therapy in the United States and Around the World, from the July 15, 2024 issue. Guests are first authors Dr. William Hartsell, former Medical Director of the Northwestern Medicine Proton Center, now practicing in the Advocate and Alexian systems in the Chicago area, and Dr. Derek Tsang, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and Clinician Investigator in the Radiation Medicine Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: WHY PREMIER DOUG FORD WANTS TO SPEED UP THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, General Internist at Unity Health Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Physician at Humber River Hospital. Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants the approval process for life-saving pharmaceutical drugs to be sped up. And a new study out of the American Cancer Society indicates that nearly half of cancer cases could be prevented by better lifestyle choices. WAS TORONTO TRULY PREPARED TO HANDLE THE SEVERE RAIN STORM   Libby Znaimer is joined by Toronto City Councillor Brad Bradford,  Ward 19 Beaches-East York and Constable Scott Stratton of the  OPP Highway Safety Division. Yesterday's epic rain dumped about a month's worth on Toronto in just a few hours. How prepared was the City of Toronto for the storm, what kind of service disruptions did we see, how many calls did emergency services respond to and how were residents and drivers impacted? Our guests react to the latest. HOW THE MAJOR TORONTO RAIN STORM IS IMPACTING RESIDENTS' INSURANCE Libby Znaimer is joined by Anne Marie Thomas, Director, Consumer & Industry Relations at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). In the aftermath of the major rain storm from yesterday, some residents faced flooding and damage to their basements and vehicles. Our guest details what you should consider based on insurance coverage.

THE MEDICAL RECORD:  HOW DOCTORS COMMUNICATE CANCER DIAGNOSES TO PATIENTS  Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Aaron Schimmer, the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist and Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and a general internist at a Toronto hospital, as well as Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. Today: a conversation about how doctors communicate cancer diagnoses to their patients. We also explore ways to keep cool during the heat waves this summer. THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE WHILE ON BAIL Libby Znaimer is now joined by Frank Caputo, a Conservative MP for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, followed by Kim Schofield, Criminal Defense Lawyer with Kim Schofield & Associates. Just how many individuals have been charged for homicide while out on bail or some other form of release? It was a question Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman posed to the government and was brought to light in a column by the Toronto Sun's Brian Lilley. THE TARNISHED LEGACY OF ALICE MUNRO Libby Znaimer is now joined by Stephen Marche, a Canadian novelist and essayist. She was one of Canada's iconic and celebrated short story writers and was even awarded a Nobel prize. Now, the legacy of the late Alice Munro is tarnished: this past Sunday, a bombshell story written by her very own daughter, Andrea Robin Skinner, and published in the Toronto Star detailed her experience of being sexually assaulted by her stepfather. When she told her mother Alice about it, she did nothing. Stephen reacts to the latest.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: THE POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN TATTOOS AND BLOOD CANCER Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Physician at Humber River Hospital. Today, our panelists discuss how the amount of coffee we drink and how it affects us individually might come down to our DNA according to research. And, what a study out of Sweden tells us about tattoos and a potential link to a type of blood cancer.   EYLON LEVY, FORMER ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON, WEIGHS IN ON ANTISEMITISM IN CANADA  Libby Znaimer is now joined by Eylon Levy, Co-Founder, Israeli Citizen Spokespersons' Office and Former Israeli Government Spokesman & International Media Advisor to the President of Israel. Eylon is in Toronto this week to, as he explains, strengthen the friendship between Israel and Canada. He also weighs in on the rise of antisemitism including attacks on synagogues here. COURT RULING GRANTS UOFT INJUNCTION TO EVICT ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT  Libby Znaimer is now joined by Eli Mogil, Partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP who has experience with injunctions but is not involved at all with UofT's legal proceeding against the encampment on their campus, and Rabbi Seth Goren, Chief Executive Officer of Hillel Ontario.  The anti-Israel encampment has been given a court-ordered deadline to leave the UofT grounds by 6 PM this evening. And, Toronto Police issued a statement that says that they will "enforce the court's order...while we won't disclose operational details the court order states that police action is at our discretion". So, what happens next? 

This month, we spoke with Natasha B. Leighl, BSc, MMSc, MD, Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada. Leighl discussed the PALOMA-3 trial results, shared at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 Conference.

Guest: Lillian Siu, MD, FRCPC With a few studies in the works for cancer vaccines, the future is exciting for what this could mean for oncology patients. Dive in to learn about the various ways to package cancer vaccines so they can be delivered to patients effectively. And to learn more about the limitations, targets, and platforms of cancer vaccines, which was the topic of her presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 Conference, hear from Dr. Lillian Siu, Senior Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Guest: Lillian Siu, MD, FRCPC Since cancer vaccines have been of interest to oncologists for decades, they've been trying to figure out how to prime or stimulate the immune system to attack cancer, and until the last few years, cancer vaccines have been challenging. To learn about this unique area of study, which she also presented at ASCO 2024, join Dr. Lillian Siu, Senior Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: HOW SOME MEDICATIONS DON'T MIX WELL WITH HEAT WAVES & WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT A NEW INSULIN SHOT FOR DIABETICS Tasha Kheiriddin is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Alisa Naiman, family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto, and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. A first of its kind, one-every-week basal insulin shot will be available to Canadian diabetic patients starting June 30th and what you need to know about certain medications that don't mix very well with heat waves like the one Ontarians are facing this week. AN UPDATE ON HOW UOFT AND MCGILL UNIVERSITY ARE ADDRESSING THE ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENTS Tasha Kheiriddin is now joined by Eli Mogil, Partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP who has experience with injunctions but is not involved at all with UofT or McGill University's legal proceedings against the encampments on their campuses, as well as Hank Topas Quebec Regional Director of B'nai Brith Canada. Our guests provide an update on the efforts by both UofT and McGill University to get rid of the anti-Israel encampments on their respective campuses. IMMIGRATION IN CANADA: WHAT IS OTTAWA'S PLAN FOR UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS Tasha Kheiriddin is now joined by Guidy Mamann, a Toronto immigration lawyer and Partner at Mamann, Sandaluk & Kingwell LLP Immigration Lawyers. Immigration policy is back in the news as the federal government awarded Quebec 750 million dollars to compensate the province for the costs of housing and social services for migrants. That's in addition to $100 million the province got in January. Ontario bagged $260 million as well, but BC has received nothing, prompting their premier to loudly complain that Ottawa is ignoring the West. But Quebec still isn't happy and Premier Francois Legault is now calling for a referendum on getting full immigration powers for the province.  Is Ottawa's open door immigration policy fueling the next national unity crisis?

THE MEDICAL RECORD: FDA ADVISORY PANEL BACKS EXPERIMENTAL ALZHEIMER'S DRUG Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and a general internist at a Toronto hospital, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto. In the news: Why an FDA advisory panel supports an experimental Alzheimer's drug, and Moderna is working on a two-in-one flu and COVID-19 vaccine. THE LEGAL BATTLE OVER ONTARIO PLACE'S FUTURE Jane Brown is now joined by Norm Di Pasquale, Co-Chair of Ontario Place for All, and Chris Glover, NDP MPP for Spadina – Fort York. Today we hear why judges threw out a legal challenge against the Ford government pertaining to its Ontario Place redevelopment plans and what comes next.  TORONTO MAYOR OLIVIA CHOW'S MISSION REGARDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING  Jane Brown is now joined by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Mayor Olivia Chow sets the record straight with us on why she met with CEOs of Canada's major banks and her thoughts regarding the hybrid work model for workers in Toronto's financial district. 

Dr Akila Viswanathan talks to Dr David Kirsch from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network about treating soft tissue sarcomas for Seminars in Radiation Oncology.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM TICK BITES Libby Znaimer is now joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Alisa Naiman, a family doctor practicing comprehensive primary care in Toronto and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, an internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. As of July 31st, Ontario will end its wastewater surveillance program which played an important role during the height of the pandemic and has proven useful in tracking other infectious diseases out there. Meanwhile, it's tick season and our doctors explain the importance of protecting yourself from potential bites. ATU LOCAL 113 PRESIDENT MARVIN ALFRED ON WHERE THINGS STAND WITH THE TTC AND POTENTIAL STRIKE THIS FRIDAY Libby Znaimer is now joined by Kristine Hubbard, Operations Manager Beck Taxi Limited and Sid Khan with Toronto Pearson Airport Taxi and limousine followed by Marvin Alfred, President of ATU Local 113. This Friday, there's a chance that TTC workers could be going on strike and with so much uncertainty about how long that could go on for, commuters are having to prepare for alternative methods of transportation to get to work and everywhere else. Wheel-trans will reportedly continue to operate if a strike does indeed take place. Meanwhile, we hear from the union president about what their demands are.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: CANNABIS CONSUMPTION & SUNSCREEN MISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Nadia Alam, family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown, Ontario, Dr. Aaron Schimmer, the Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a staff physician and a senior scientist, and Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and a general internist at a Toronto hospital. Today: our panel reacts to the latest dangerous social media trend trying to push misinformation about sunscreen...our doctors debunk that. And, in the States, daily cannabis consumption has jumped ahead of daily alcohol consumption. WHY ARE UNIONS DEFENDING ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS? Libby Znaimer is joined, first, by tech reporter Carmi Levy, followed by Howard Levitt, Senior Partner at Levitt Sheikh Employment | Labour Law and Michael Teper of Save Our Schools. We've just been talking about the latest piece of health misinformation purveyed on social media and consumed mostly by young people on Tik Tok. Here at home, five additional school boards in Ontario are joining  a lawsuit against social media giants including Tik Tok, Meta, and Snapchat, in which they allege that these social media apps are harming the well-being of students and hurting their academic growth. AND: Powerful unions have been expressing their support for anti-Israel protesters at the UofT encampment. From CUPE's President Fred Hahn to the President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) to the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) and other groups who showed up to the UofT campus to show support. One union leader even said: "“If the police come, we will be your human shields. We will be your line of defense. And I promise you that we will be here for as long as it takes to make sure that you are safe.” What rights do they have? Meanwhile some groups are calling on the TDSB to keep politics out of the classroom amid the Israeli-Hamas war. A motion being led by school board trustee Weidong Pei includes guidelines to prevent TDSB resources from being used for political activism. WHAT A NEW REPORT TELLS US ABOUT CANADIANS AND DEBT Libby Znaimer is now joined by Lesley-Anne Scorgie, founder of MeVest, a leading-edge financial education company specializing in money coaching for Canadians. According to a TransUnion report, more Canadians are seeing very high credit card balances amid inflation and the high cost of living.

THE MEDICAL RECORD: THE TREND OF CANCER DIAGNOSES AT ONTARIO HOSPITALS Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto and Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, Internal medicine and critical care physician at Humber River Hospital. We examine why there's a trend in patients receiving cancer diagnoses in Canadian hospitals (part of the reason being the primary care shortage) and more. NUTRITION AND THE PREVALENCE AROUND EATING ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS Libby is now joined by Rob Hobson, a nutritionist based out of the UK and Mark Schatzker who is the writer-in-residence at the Modern Diet and Physiology Research Center at McGill University and  the author of "The End of Craving". Today our guests discuss the latest research around ultra-processed foods, how it impacts our health and why we crave it so much. GOOGLE MAPS MAKES A SANKOFA SQUARE NAME CHANGE Libby is now joined by Toronto Councillor Brad Bradford of Ward 19 Beaches-East York and Daniel Tate, a concerned citizen, taxpayer and co-organizer of an online petition to reverse the name change of Yonge-Dundas Square. Apparently Google listed Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto as Sankofa Square and we get an update on the petition to reverse the name change. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

THE MEDICAL RECORD: NEW RESEARCH FINDINGS RELATED TO ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto and Dr. Amol Verma, a staff physician in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Today we discuss new research on Alzheimer's disease and more healthcare news of the week THE LATEST ON DONALD TRUMP'S HUSH MONEY TRIAL Libby Znaimer is now joined by Brad Polumbo, a conservative commentator and editor-in-chief  & Co-Founder of BASEDPolitics and Larry Haas, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and a former White House communications strategist. This week: an update on former President Donald Trump's hush money trial involving porn star Stormy Daniels. THE GRIEF ISRAELIS ARE FEELING IN THE AFTERMATH OF OCTOBER 7TH Libby has reunited with her friend Sara who was a roommate from her days studying in Israel. Sara and her husband were in Toronto last week for a conference. But they live in Israel. She describes what it has been like there since the October 7th massacre, and how Israelis have been reacting to the global rise of antisemitism including here in Canada. Listen live, weekdays from noon to 1, on Zoomer Radio!

THE MEDICAL RECORD: BC SHIFTS ITS DRUG POLICY Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a former head of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto. We get the doctors' take on BC's move to roll back decriminalization of drug use at least when it comes to using in public places. WHAT POLICE ARE AND ARE NOT LEGALLY ALLOWED TO DO DURING A HIGH-SPEED CHASE Libby is now joined by Joseph Neuberger, a Criminal Defence Lawyer with Neuberger and Partners LLP. Why were police on that dangerous and ultimately deadly high- speed chase on the 401 that killed an infant and his grandparents as well as the suspect? It was apparently the result of an armed robbery. An investigation is underway into this horrific tragedy. What are police legally and not legally allowed to do during a high-speed chase? TWO KEY BY-ELECTIONS ARE FAST APPROACHING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Libby is now joined by Bob Richardson, Senior Council to National Public Relations, and John Mykytyshyn, Conservative Activist, Political Consultant, and President of Bradgate Research Group. Two provincial bi-elections are taking place tomorrow in two ridings currently held by PC's - Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, which was the riding of Ford government Minister Monte McNaughton, and Milton, which was Parm Gill's riding before he resigned.

THE MEDICAL RECORD:THE POTENTIAL RISK OF MICROPLASTICS ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH Jane Brown is filling in for Libby Znaimer today. She is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto and Dr. Nadia Alam, family doctor and anesthetist in Georgetown, Ontario. What a study says about the care provided by female doctors compared to male doctors, and what medical schools in Ontario want to see happen so that more students pursue family medicine. WHAT AND WHO IS BEHIND THE "STEAL FROM LOBLAWS DAY" CAMPAIGN Jane Brown is joined by Sylvain Charlebois,  Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Sylvain reacts to the ongoing issue that consumers have with grocery giant Loblaws and revisits the discussion about "Shrinkflation". WHAT MAKES A TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS FAN...A TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS FAN? Jane Brown is now joined by Wally Rigobon, Co-host of the Naz and Wally Sports Hour on Zoomer Radio. It's that time of the year...the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it once again into the playoffs. Currently, they face the Boston Bruins. Will this be the year they win the Stanley Cup?

THE MEDICAL RECORD: CANCER SCREENING GUIDELINES  Libby Znaimer today is joined by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dr. Fahad Razak, Canada Research Chair in Data Informed Healthcare Improvement at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Alisa Naiman, Family Physician and Founder and Medical Director of The Medical Station in Toronto. It's Wednesday, time to talk about your health. We'll begin with the latest cancer screening controversy: a federally appointed body called The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health issues the guidelines that another group of medical experts are now calling dangerous and outdated.   REACTION TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET RELEASED IN OTTAWA THIS WEEK Libby Znaimer today is joined by Taylor Scollon, Co-Founder of The Peak, Muhammad Ali, Liberal Strategist and Senior Consultant at Crestview Strategy in Ottawa, John Mykytyshyn, Conservative Activist, Political Consultant and President of Bradgate Research Group. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released the federal budget this week. The budget is largely aimed at Gen Zs and Millennials as they face an affordability crisis. The budget also includes a disability benefit program that will see $6.1 billion in funding but payouts won't start until July 2025. THE LATEST ON DONALD TRUMP'S LEGAL TROUBLES  Libby Znaimer today is joined by Dr. Chris Cooper, a Political Science Professor at Western Carolina University.  Donald Trump continues to make headlines for his legal troubles…he is currently facing the hush money trial. The question is: will this complicate his political campaign?   

In previous episodes, Talking About Kids has addressed the need for trauma-informed care and the importance of involving youth in the design and oversight of programs for them. This episode combines the two. Recently, Yehudis Stokes, Marjorie Robb, and their colleagues published a paper on the perspectives of youth, caregivers, and other stakeholders on implementing trauma-informed care in an inpatient mental health program. Yehudis Stokes is a Registered Nurse at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and a Clinical Nurse Specialist with the Psychosocial Oncology team at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Marjorie Robb is the Acting Chief of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Division Chief of Community-Based Psychiatry. The episode was recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from Alliance members and other listeners. If you would like to participate in the webinars, you can join the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health's mailing list at healthyazyouth.org. More information about Yehudis, Marjorie, their research, and the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is at talkingaboutkids.com.

In this episode, Dr. Paul Wheatley-Price sits down with Dr. Amir Safavi, final-year Radiation Oncology Resident at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Jillian Tsai, Staff Radiation Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. They preface the chat with radiation 101, describe what "oligo-" means in the context of oligoradiation, oligometastises & oligoprogression, the possibility of combining oligoradiation with other cancer treatments, and finally, the CURB research study they're working on to test whether they could use stereotactic radiotherapy to stop oligoprogression.

You share your experiences about how you made the decision to reveal a diagnosis, with psychiatrist Gary Rodin. Dr. Rodin is with the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and has worked with patients at many different stages of their illnesses.

Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom co-hosts with Dr. Jean Wright, Breast Section Editor and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of the radiation oncology Breast Cancer Program at Johns Hopkins University. Joining is Dr. Juliane Hörner-Rieber, Managing Senior Physician and Associate Professor at the Department of Radiation Oncology of Heidelberg University Hospital, who was supervising author of an article published this month, "Non-inferiority of Local Control and Comparable Toxicity of Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy With Simultaneous Integrated Boost in Breast Cancer: 5-year Results of the IMRT-MC2 Phase III Trial." Also joining is is Dr. Danielle Rodin, Associate Section Editor, radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, who first-authored our Oncology Scan this month, "The Internal Mammary Node Irradiation Debate in Node-Positive Breast Cancer: Case Closed."

Our guests for today's episode are Dr. SarahRose Black and Dr. Andrew Ascenzo. Dr. SarahRose is a certified music therapist and registered Psychotherapist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Kensington Health (Hospice) in Toronto, Ontario, currently specializing in music-centered psychotherapy in cancer care with palliative, hematology, general acute inpatient populations, and long-term care. Dr. Andrew is a cellist, conductor, teacher, composer, and musical director. He has designed a new concert genre along with Dr. SarahRose, combining live performance with narratives of the power of music in health and well-being. Their current project, "Pulse: Stories from the Frontlines of Music and Medicine," will occur at 918 Bathurst on September 14th, 2023, at 7:30 pm. Today, we connect with Dr SarahRose and discover what great things she has been up to since our last conversation. We also learn about Dr. Andrew's musical beginnings, the upcoming concert, and more!Click here for more information about their upcoming event.

Drs. Lillian Siu and Melvin Chua discuss scientific innovations, disruptive technologies, and novel ways to practice oncology that were featured at the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting in Yokohama, Japan, including CRISPR and gene editing, CAR T-cell and adoptive cell therapies, as well as emerging AI applications that are poised to revolutionize cancer care.   TRANSCRIPT Dr. Melvin Chua: Hello, I'm Dr. Melvin Chua, your guest host of the ASCO Daily News Podcast today. I'm a radiation oncologist and I currently practice in the Division of Radiation Oncology at the National Cancer Center in Singapore. I also served as the chair-elect of the ASCO Breakthrough Program Committee, and, on today's episode, we'll be discussing key takeaways from this year's Breakthrough meeting. The global meeting in Yokohama, Japan, brought together world-renowned experts, clinicians, med-tech, pioneers, and novel drug developers to discuss scientific innovations and disruptive technologies that are transforming cancer care today. I'm joined by Dr. Lillian Siu, the chair of the Breakthrough Program Committee. Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.     You'll find our full disclosures in the transcript of this episode, and disclosures of all guests on the podcast are available at asco.org/DNpod.    Lillian, it's great to be speaking with you today.    Dr. Lillian Siu: Thanks, Dr. Chua. I'm happy to be here.    Dr. Melvin Chua: We were just at ASCO Breakthrough, and it showcased some incredible scientific innovations, and really showed us how technology innovations in precision oncology, biotech, and artificial intelligence are transforming cancer care. What are your thoughts?    Dr. Lillian Siu: Yeah, it was a really exciting meeting, Melvin. The theme of this year's Breakthrough meeting was “Shining a Light on Advances in Cancer Care.” And our Opening Session featured an illuminating keynote address by the renowned thought leader and tech trailblazer, Dr. Hiroshi or “Mickey” Mikitani, the founder and CEO of Rakuten and Rakuten Medical. In his address that was titled, “Innovative Technology and Oncology,” he spoke so passionately about innovation and really seeing around the corner to predict what is coming and taking risks. And I think that's what medicine is about, not just what we have in front of us, but to predict and forecast what's coming. I totally was inspired by his address, and I think a lot of the audience felt the same way. He also spoke to us a bit about his company's development in photoimmunotherapy using novel technology and light therapy in head and neck cancer. And I think that's also an area of new technology that we should watch in the next few years.    Dr. Melvin Chua: I totally agree with you, Lillian. And one of the quotes that he spoke about really spoke to my heart. He spoke about the 2 choices: whether to do or not to do and not to do is not an option. So, I think that was a very compelling message to a lot of our audience at the meeting.    So, on this same note, innovation is a driving force in oncology, and we saw countless examples of this throughout the Breakthrough meeting. Were there any sessions that really stood out for you?    Dr. Lillian Siu: There were so many exciting sessions. First of all, there is the “Drugging the Undruggable” session. This is a really important session because in the past we felt that certain cancer targets such as KRAS, MYC, etc., are not druggable. KRAS G12C is the poster child in this area. So, during this session we heard about many ways that we are now looking to target these so-called undruggable molecules in the cancer cell. And we talked about molecular glues, we talked about degraders, and really novel ways that are not yet reaching the clinic, called “cyclic peptides” were discussed by one of the speakers.     The other session that is very interesting also is CRISPR and gene editing. Obviously, we all know a little bit about gene editing, really trying to change or knock in some genes that are important perhaps to change the function. And one of the sessions talked about trail targeted induced mesenchymal stem cells, and perhaps this is a way to, again, deliver novel therapies and novel treatments to our patients. There were many examples of how CRISPR and gene editing can be ultimately going to the clinic to benefit our patients in terms of therapeutics.     I want to highlight another session, which is the CAR T-cell and Adoptive Cell Therapies. I think everybody knows about CAR T-cells, but in this session we talk about non CAR T-cells or newer things such as off the shelf NK cells, Natural Killer cells from cord blood. So, this way it is allogeneics, in other words, we don't have to rely on only a patient's donation of their samples, but actually get it from off the shelf from other donors. There are other ways to really use human induced pluripotent stem cells that we can armor them by transgenes and also CRISPR out any unwanted genes, for example, to enhance an effective function of T-cells. So many, many exciting ways to bring these cell therapies to the patients.     And last but not least, I want to highlight Dr. Chris Abbosh, who is one of our keynote speakers, talking about molecular and minimal residual disease and early cancer detection using circulating tumor DNA or liquid biopsy. He talked passionately about the TRACERx study, which he is instrumental in terms of leading together with Charlie Swanson in the UK. This is a study that really has uncovered a lot of science about cancer heterogeneity. And in that study, he also studied circulating tumor DNA and really shed a lot of light about clonal and subclonal dynamics over time that changes.     Dr. Melvin Chua: And just to touch on that point about innovation and how that translates to cancer care, I think it was great that we had those case-based applications in lung cancer, in breast cancer, and the virus-associated cancers. And I like how the speakers were able to bring in the Ying and the Yang, bring the West and the Eastern perspectives in these interactive sessions. I particularly enjoyed all of them. But the session on the lung case discussion where we know that there were this EGFR mutant lung cancers that are prevalent in this part of the world in Asia. I thought the interaction between the speakers was fantastic.     On the same note about therapies and we heard about novel therapeutics at this meeting as well. I wonder what your thoughts are about some of the sessions, and do you think some of these technologies were able to be brought into practice? And your thoughts on the novel therapeutic session that happened at Breakthrough, do you think this will actually impact clinical care?    Dr. Lillian Siu: Oh, for sure, Melvin. The 5 areas that were covered during the Novel Therapeutics session are really drugs already in the clinic. And for example, the first one was about antibody drug conjugates. We know there are now at least 12 antibody drug conjugates already approved by the FDA and many more likely to be approved in the near future. And the session really talked about what's next, how to improve upon ADC, for example, using better drug antibody ratio, talking about new payloads and really new formats that make perhaps ADCs even more potent in the future.     There was a session on oral immunotherapeutics. It was really how to target the innate immunity. And I think novel oral immunotherapeutics is very important because we all know PD-1, PD-L1 inhibitors have been the backbone, but we need another Breakthrough. And having oral immunotherapeutics will make it very attractive for patients because they don't have to come to the cancer center to receive the drugs.     Another part of that session was about T-cell engagers and bispecifics, really how to bring molecules to the T-cell, to the effective cells so that they are able to be phytotoxic to the tumor. We talked about also oncolytic viruses, how are the new ways to utilize this kind of natural agent to target the cancer cells. And lastly, we also talked about personalized cancer vaccine, which is obviously very timely. We all know a lot about vaccine now after the COVID pandemic and how do we use cancer vaccines to be a good therapeutic drug? I think especially important in the earlier disease stages as adjuvant therapy. Some exciting data, for example, in pancreatic cancer, as adjuvant really is groundbreaking for this whole topic of cancer vaccination.    Dr. Melvin Chua: That's great. And for me as a radiation oncologist who's not so deep in drug development, hearing all the talks at ASCO Breakthrough was really informative for me and I learned a lot. In particular, you spoke about the whole session there was oncolytic therapy and the results in glioblastoma multiforme, we know it's a deadly disease, was certainly very impressive. And so, it speaks to the whole notion that in fact, some of this stuff is in fact reaching the clinic and making a difference in deadly diseases. I think there's a lot to take in from there.    Dr. Lillian Siu: Melvin, you're so humble. I know you're a big expert in artificial intelligence and I think the whole session about AI applications in precision medicine really was not just in that session, but a whole theme that went throughout the entire meeting. So, I'm very interested to know what you think about some of the presentations around AI and disruptive technologies in precision medicine, such as next-generation multiomics, etc. What are your thoughts?    Dr. Melvin Chua: Absolutely, I agree with you. And there was so much material within the AI session, the multiomic session, as well as the keynote [address] by Dr. Maryellen Giger, which basically speaks about some of the pre-existing or historical work on artificial intelligence in radiology. And I'd like to first talk about the keynote by Dr. Maryellen Giger. It was very nice that she elegantly showed how AI was in fact already in practice in radiology, where it helped to fulfill or address a need for radiologists. Almost 20 years ago, they were able to show that using computer vision, you were able to basically facilitate the calling of abnormal mammograms. And it was inspiring to see how these early thoughts have now basically accelerated a lot of the advances that we see that are in practice today.     The other thing that was also was to see this global collaboration, the need for global collaboration in the artificial intelligence space and the radiologists are clearly leading the way. And I think part of the impetus for this effort came from an opportunity that arose during the COVID pandemic that clearly affected all facets of healthcare. That was a nice segue to the very sort of dense 1 hour session we had on precision oncology care with artificial intelligence. I think when we designed this session, we were very deliberate that we wanted to address all aspects of how AI could be applied. From real-world clinical data, we saw examples of how having good, well-annotated data sets could actually help to accelerate and facilitate liver cancer screening in Hong Kong. Then we also saw a very simple, practical application of AI in pathology, where apart from just having this tool to be able to extract features that could potentially predict outcomes of patients and predict drug responses, we saw a very practical example that applying AI in digital pathology could actually homogenize or harmonize the ways the pathologists review their cases. And so, I thought that was very neat and could speak to all our clinicians across both developed and developing countries.     We also saw very exciting stuff on the use of AI in terms of calling out mutations because we know that next-generation sequencing is pretty much a cornerstone of how we practice in oncology today. And yet we know that there are prohibitive costs that preclude this technology in certain parts of the world. And it was nice to see how AI could actually lower the cost of some of these sequencing technologies like being used in liquid biopsy.     And then finally, there was some fancy science as well that was showcased in the spectrum when we saw how industry as well as academics are thinking about integrating multiomic data sets to then be able to accelerate drug discovery, help define patients better, and so that we can think about how to look at precision oncology using targeted treatments for specific patient phenotypes. So I think this was a very nice transition to the Next-Generation Multiomic Technology session, where, again, some of these topics were touched on, ranging from liquid biopsies, and this was already covered in Dr. Abbosh's talk, which you spoke about, and as well as the preceding day session where we heard snippets of it. And it was again reinforced by the speakers when it showcased liquid biopsies. We have heard so much about it in the last decade and we see it made approved now for use in the clinic, but yet so much remains unknown, like the discrepancies between assays, addressing the cost of assays and, importantly, how we deal with the information. So, I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg here. A lot of the clinical evidence needs to be generated in due course to address some of these questions.     At the same time, it was also nice to see some of the new technologies being applied in discovery science. So, we know that immunotherapy is a major player in oncology today, and the Breakthrough represents a forum whereby we're able to bring translational scientists to showcase their work. And we saw examples of that at this meeting where single cell technology, digital spatial technology, being able to apply that in pathology specimens and how the two are integrated to be able to review more novel science to us, to show us how immunotherapy works or doesn't work in some patients. Both of us have touched on so much content that was showcased at the Breakthrough, and I think this speaks to the impact, the learning experience we've had from Breakthrough and I think that's the intended purpose of this meeting.    Dr. Lillian Siu: Yeah, I agree. It truly was a very exciting 3 days. And I particularly like the multiomics session where we see that the technology is so advanced just in a really short period of time. Over the last few years, we've been now able to go into single cell resolution where in the past I don't think we would ever dream of being able to do that. In fact, I recall in the single cell session, we can even see messenger RNA on the slide, which I thought was fascinating, something that I cannot imagine we can see by the naked eye. It really is an exciting time in oncology, Melvin, and the field is advancing with these new innovations and therapies, but at the same time, I think it's important that we do live globally and we need to work really also to help improve access to quality-assured cancer medicines and diagnostics in the low and middle income countries. What do you think about that part? Did we do a good job in addressing that in the meeting?    Dr. Melvin Chua: Absolutely, Lillian. We had a special session that was chaired by Dr. Peter Yu and the lecture was delivered by Dr. Gilberto Lopes from the University of Miami. And we know that he's a strong advocate for this. And the session title spoke to this topic very pointedly, “How Science, Technology, and Practice Can Be Enabled in Lower- and Middle-Resource Settings.” And I thought that the work that he highlighted, the whole ATOM coalition, was important. ATOM basically stands for Access to Oncology Medicines, and it was established last year by the UICC, the Union for International Cancer Control, along with global partners to improve access to anti-cancer drugs and to develop processes for ensuring quality delivery, as well as the optimal utilization of medicines in middle- and low-resource settings. And I think there's a lot more work to be done.     Some of the information they showed was very compelling to me from this part of the world. But we know that Asia isn't very heterogeneous in terms of the resources, in terms of the culture. And I thought that the drug pricing, for example, how that should be addressed across the different countries is an important topic to pick up. And I hope his lecture only invigorates this conversation going forward.     Dr. Lillian Siu: Yeah. Thanks, Melvin. I totally agree. That was very inspiring. Breakthrough is such a one of a kind, international gathering that we are not only able to network while we're there; we also have a session to really allow attendees to leverage international cancer networks, to learn a bit about them, all the way from, for example, some of the North American groups to Asia Pacific groups to even global groups, and how we interact between pharma and academia, really transcending boundaries. And I think it is really, really important for us to now have these networks address issues such as equity and cancer care innovation, novel approaches and so much more. And I think, I am sure you're going to do a good job in making sure that gets into the agenda in our next year's meeting in 2024. Ultimately, we hope that these collaborations in cancer research will help to improve the outcomes for our patients with cancer.    Dr. Melvin Chua: Thank you again for sharing the great highlights of ASCO Breakthrough, and I'm really appreciative of your work, and your commitment to build a really robust program for this year. So, thank you.    Dr. Lillian Siu: And thank you, Dr. Chua. And you can bet that I will not miss Breakthrough 2024 in Yokohama in August next year. I will be there.    Dr. Melvin Chua: Okay, I'll hold you to that.     And thank you to our listeners for your time today. You'll find links to all of the sessions discussed today in the transcript of this episode. And finally, if you value the insights that you hear on the podcast, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you again.    Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.    Find out more about today's speakers: Dr. Lilian Siu  @lillian_siu  Dr. Melvin Chua  @DrMLChua    Follow ASCO on social media:   @ASCO on Twitter    ASCO on Facebook    ASCO on LinkedIn      Disclosures:   Dr. Lillian Siu:  Leadership (Immediate family member): Treadwell Therapeutics  Stock and Other Ownership Interests (Immediate family member): Agios    Consulting or Advisory Role: Merck, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Roche, Voronoi Inc., Oncorus, GSK, Seattle Genetics, Arvinas, Navire, Janpix, Relay Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo/UCB Japan, Janssen, Research Funding (Institution): Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer, Amgen, Astellas Pharma, Shattuck Labs, Symphogen, Avid, Mirati Therapeutics, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Amgen    Dr. Melvin Chua:  Leadership, Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Digital Life Line  Honoraria: Janssen Oncology, Varian  Consulting or Advisory Role: Janssen Oncology, Merck Sharp & Dohme, ImmunoSCAPE, Telix Pharmaceuticals, IQVIA, BeiGene  Speakers' Bureau: AstraZeneca, Bayer, Pfizer, Janssen   Research Funding: PVmed, Decipher Biosciences, EVYD Technology, MVision, BeiGene, EVYD Technology, MVision, BeiGene  Patents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: High Sensitivity Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Detection of Analyte in Samples (10202107837T), Singapore. (Danny Jian Hang Tng, Chua Lee Kiang Melvin, Zhang Yong, Jenny Low, Ooi Eng Eong, Soo Khee Chee)