CCF Highlights

At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF), William W. Li, MD, Chief Executive Officer, President, and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation in Cambridge, MA, presented the keynote address titled “Dietary Modification of the Tumor Microenvironment: New Frontiers in Cancer Research and Therapy.”

At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF), results of a patient survey conducted in summer 2019 by the CCF and Incyte Corporation, provided real-life responses from patients regarding the impact of a cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) diagnosis on patients with this rare disease.

At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, a panel of experts focused on the science of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) addressed the topic of “Genetic Disposition for CCA,” which was moderated by Anna Lleo De Nalda, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy. The panel members responded to questions from the attendees.

Cancer is a personal journey. We often see and hear from patients, families, and their caregivers about how this disease changes their lives. However, what is often missing is a physician’s view of the role that the physician plays in the battle against cancer.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) knows no geographic borders. Nevertheless, some geographical areas in the world are associated with increased risk for this type of cancer, according to recent research. At the 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, several experts presented global perspectives related to global trends in CCA.

The 2020 virtual conference of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) was wrapped up with reflections on the meeting highlights and key takeaways from the meeting chairs and organizers.

Rachna T. Shroff, MD, MS, Chief, Section of GI Medical Oncology, University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, and Co-Chair of the 2020 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Annual Conference, provided an update of important global clinical trial developments since the last conference of the foundation. Dr Shroff reminded the audience that the ABC-02 clinical trial established the use of gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy as the standard of care for patients with metastatic or unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) since 2010.

During the 2020 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) Annual Conference, Melinda Bachini, Director of Advocacy for the foundation, presented an update on the foundation’s advocacy activities and initiatives toward promotion of the cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) community.

In fall 2016, Nina Petrow was a successful, healthy, 38-year-old woman living with her husband Randy Pike, in San Antonio, TX. She was a mom for the third time, having given birth to a son, Nikolas, just 5 weeks before receiving the devastating news on November 29 that she had stage IV cholangiocarcinoma (CCA).

Fred Koehl, who spoke at the 2020 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) Annual Conference, was a 62-year-old healthy man living in Atlanta, GA, who was “not ready to go” when he was diagnosed with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) 7 years ago. Mr Koehl’s disease was diagnosed at an early stage (stage I), and after surgery to remove the tumor (including part of his pancreas), radiation, and 12 cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin therapy, he was told he had “no evidence of disease.”