Listen to “Did you know October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month?” on Spreaker.
Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.1,2 Hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, is the most common type of liver cancer, yet more than half of patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease often when symptoms first begin to appear.3,4 Historically, the prognosis for advanced HCC has been poor, with only 7% of patients surviving up to five years after diagnosis.4
But today, there is reason for optimism. Advances in research and medical innovation are signaling a shift in patient expectations, offering hope for more time for patients navigating their unresectable HCC or uHCC diagnosis. Here to explain the progress being made in the treatment landscape is Dr Shroff [shrawf] with the University of Arizona Cancer Center.
BIO:
Rachna T. Shroff, MD, MS, FASCO, is associate director of Clinical Investigations and co-leader of the Gastrointestinal Clinical Research Team at the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC). She also is a professor with tenure in the Department of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Medical Director for the Oncology Service Line. Dr. Shroff also served as Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson; 2021 – 2024. She came to UACC from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where she was on faculty from 2010-18 after completing her medical oncology fellowship there.
Research Interests
Dr. Shroff is a clinical and translational investigator focused on developing novel therapies for pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers. She holds multiple positions nationally due to her expertise in these areas, including serving as the Hepatobiliary Subcommittee co-chair for the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and as Chair for GI ASCO 2025, a meeting sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology focused on gastrointestinal cancers. Most recently, she was elected to serve on the ASCO Nominating Committee. She also is a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.
Dr. Shroff has led numerous clinical trials focusing on pancreaticobiliary tumors and is the national PI for SWOG 1815 which investigated a triplet chemotherapy regimen as a potential new standard of care for biliary cancers. This is based on a phase 2 study she led that is now published in JAMA Oncology. Dr. Shroff has been invited to speak at national and international meetings on topics related to targeted therapies for pancreatic and biliary cancers and has numerous peer-reviewed publications in this area.
#livercancer #cancer #drshroff #hcc #hepatocellularcarcinoma
