Society of Surgical Oncology Highlights Roswell Park Experts at 2025 Annual Meeting

Cancer surgery leaders from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center will share their expertise with other cancer surgeons from around the world during the 2025 annual meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, March 27-29.

Moshim Kukar, MD, FACS, Chair of Surgical Oncology and Chief of Foregut and Endocrine Surgery at Roswell Park, will discuss how emerging biomarkers can inform the treatment of patients with gastroesophageal junction cancers. “Several agents, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted agents, can be combined in unique ways to achieve optimal results in both the curative and metastatic setting,” he notes.

He will chair Session 010, Biomarkers in Gastric and Esophageal Cancers, and present “Emerging Biomarkers of Treatment Response” as part of a symposium Thursday, March 27, from 8:20-9:50 a.m. EDT in Ballroom BC, with his presentation from 9:29-9:41 a.m.

Dr Kukar will also address general surgery residents who want to pursue SSO fellowships, during Session 052, Resident/Fellow Programming: Becoming a Surgical Oncologist: What Trainees Should Know for a Successful Match, Thursday, March 27, from 1:50-3:20 p.m. EDT in Room 124-125. His talk, “What It Takes to Successfully Match: Importance of the Interview, How to Structure Applicant Rank List,” takes place from 2:30-2:45 p.m. EDT.

Dr Mann Heads Discussion of Thyroid Cancer Care

Gary Mann, MD, FACS, Professor of Oncology in the Department of Surgical Oncology, will serve as moderator of Session 109, Great Debate: Less Is More, Or Is It? Right-Sizing of Thyroid Cancer Care, Friday, March 28, from 2:35-3:35 p.m. EDT in Ballroom D. The session will consider the extent of surgery in patients with low-risk, well-differentiated thyroid cancer as well as the timing and management of combination therapies in advanced, treatment-resistant or recurrent thyroid cancer, with an emphasis on common management challenges. Dr Mann will also serve on the Endocrine Disease Site Working Group that will convene during the meeting.

Dr Jehan Honored for Top-Rated Poster and Video

Faisal Jehan, MD, FICS, a Roswell Park Surgical Oncology Fellow, will give one poster and one video presentation, both recognized by the SSO as among the best in their categories:

• Dr Jehan will present his SSO Top-Rated Poster, P224, Easel 6 — “Mediastinalization of the Gastric Conduit by Pleural Closure in Robotic Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy: Short-Term Quality of Life Assessment,” Thursday, March 27, from 10-10:20 a.m. in the HUB Poster Park.
• He will present his SSO Top-Rated Video, 128 — “Pleural Flap Closure to Mediastinalize the Gastric Conduit in Robotic Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy: A Novel Technique,” Saturday, March 29, from 10:32-10:38 a.m. in Ballroom A.

Additional Research Abstracts

The work of several Roswell Park fellows will be featured as e-posters:

• Drew Erali, MD, MPH, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P411, “Outcomes of Clinically Detected Stage II Melanoma Through Individualized Neoadjuvant (PRADO) Approach at a Single Institution.”
• Faisal Jehan, MD, FICS, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P27, “The Role of Neutrophil in Breast Tumor Microenvironment and Association with Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy”
• Aeryn Kangas-Dick, MD, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P367, “Intratumoral Lymphangiogenesis Does Not Correlate with Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma”
• Olivia Martin, MD, MS, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P30, “Tumor Hypoxia Is Associated with Markers of Increased Tumor Aggression and Response to Immunotherapy in ER+/HER2- Breast Cancer Patients”
• Sarah McIntyre, MD, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P6, “Clinical Relevance of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 4 (S1PR4) in Breast Cancer Using Bulk and Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis”
• Elizabeth Olecki, MD, MScR, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P352, “Degree of Dedifferentiation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Is Not Associated with Decreased Expression of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 2”
• Masanori Oshi, MD, Postdoctoral Fellow in Breast Surgery — P1, “Activated Hippo Pathway Is Associated with. Worse Response to Trastuzumab and Survival in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer”
• Colin Rog, MD, Fellow in Surgical Oncology — P438, “The Atypical Presentation and Delayed Timing of Anastomotic Leak in Patients Who Undergo Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy”

Talk to the Experts in Continuing the Conversation Sessions

This year’s SSO annual meeting includes Continuing the Conversation get-togethers that will give participants a chance to ask questions and share information with experts in an informal setting.

• Dr Kukar will be featured in Continuing the Conversation: Meet the GI Experts, Thursday, March 27, from 10-10:20 a.m. EDT in the Upper GI/HPB/Colorectal HUB Zone.
• Dr Mann will be featured in Continuing the Conversation: Surgical Oncologists for Sustainability: What Is SSO Doing About Sustainability?, Thursday, March 27, from 10-10:20 a.m. EDT in the Pan-Tumor HUB Zone.
• Zachary Stiles, DO, MS, Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Surgical Oncology, will be featured in Continuing the Conversation: Meet the Junior Faculty, Thursday, March 27, from 10-10:20 a.m. EDT in the Immuno-Oncology HUB Zone.

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From the world’s first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. Driven to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity, the Roswell Park team of 4,000 makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York State and beyond. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was among the first three cancer centers nationwide to become a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and is the only one to hold this designation in Upstate New York. To learn more about Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Roswell Park Care Network, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.