Cancer moonshot summit lands at Fox Chase

About 200 doctors, patients, advocates and philanthropists gathered at Fox Chase Cancer Center Wednesday morning, listening in as Vice President Joe Biden vowed to change "the culture that stymies progress'' on treating cancer.

In remarks recorded at Howard University in D.C. and beamed out to Fox Chase and about 270 other such events around the country, Biden said that he believes that the country can make "exponential progress" in cancer care and treatment. He praised doctors for working together across disciplines, combing data and developing targeted treatments with the promise to turn once-deadly cancers into chronic diseases.

But he also took aim at the high cost of treatment and barriers that block collaboration in research.

"The moonshot initiative can be a real opportunity if we target the right outcomes like cancer prevention, " said Pat Halpin-Murphy, the president and founder of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.  "Heart attacks and strokes decreased because of prevention; that's what saves people's lives."

Biden's words met no resistance at Fox Chase, where numerous panelists elaborated on the need for more collaboration, research support, and changing an academic culture that has rewarded individual achievement over collective progress.

Bert Vogelstein, the cancer genomics pioneer from Johns Hopkins University, followed Biden to talk about detecting cancer earlier to achieve better treatment results.

Three panels of local experts discussed pressing problems in basic research, data sharing in precision oncology and the challenges of getting  patients to enroll in clinical trials.

"The panels captured many of the most relevant themes in dealing with cancer, from research, to technological advances to obstacles in clinical trials including discussion of underserved populations," said Wafik El-Deiry, deputy cancer center director at Fox Chase.

Several panelists noted how tough it is for young and mid-career scientists to get funding for basic research. They also talked about shaking up the academic  model to include more collaboration on papers and more emphasis on invention than publication.

The precision oncology and data-sharing panel covered leveraging new technologies, evolving clinical trial designs and suggested new models for collaboration.

"There is much to think about and digest but the audience certainly left with renewed energy, commitment and desire to solve problems," El-Deiry said.

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