Expert Opinions: Athanasios (Ethan) Argiris MD, PhD, FACP, Professor of Medical Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Prof. Argiris is a world-leading Oncologist with a particular interest in Head and Neck Oncology. He did his Internal Medicine residency at Beth Israel Medical Center (NY, USA), and then specialized in Hematology/ Oncology at Yale University School of Medicine (CT, USA) and he is doubly board-certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He is Professor of Medical Oncology at the Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, (PA, USA) and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (TX, USA). Besides his clinical appointments, Prof. Argiris is actively involved in basic and clinical research. He is the author of more than 130 articles and book chapters and his work has received more than 7000 citations. He is a member and holds several key positions in prestigious cancer societies in Europe and USA, including: European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and European Organization for Research Treatment and Cancer (EORTC).

Read below, his very interesting answers  to THE HEAD AND NECK BLOG!

1.     Prof. Argiris, from the broad scope of Oncology, why did you choose to Head and Neck Oncology? What makes this field special for you?

This is fascinating field that I chose early on in my career as I joined the faculty at Northwestern University in 2000. It gave me the opportunity to work with colleagues from different specialties and develop new approaches in the multimodality management of head and neck cancer.

“I suggest being enthusiastic and

working long hours !”

2.     What are the most important qualities of an aspiring cancer researcher today? Are there any common pitfalls one should avoid?

A career in research, basic or clinical, comes with many challenges, and requires efforts for decades. A key for success is good mentorship and the ability to compete successfully for grants. As a clinician one has to focus on patient care and at the same time balance clinical research activities.  This is not always easy. However, it is very rewarding when new therapies enter the clinic and make a difference in patient outcomes.

3.     What do you expect to change in the field, in terms of clinical practice over the next decade? Should we expect that the novel, targeted immunotherapies will transform Head and Neck Cancer management?

A new therapeutic area that has revolutionized cancer treatment is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy has shown benefit in patients with head and neck cancer who have previously received chemotherapy. Currently, there are multiple ongoing clinical trials that investigate immunotherapy in the first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer as well as in combination with chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced disease. It is anticipated that opportunities for cure will be enhanced with the new therapies. Moreover, we are hopeful that biomarkers will be used for better patient selection.

4.     How difficult is it to translate basic science research into clinical applications? How can we avoid poor reproducibility and mistakes that eventually limit the applicability of laboratory findings in clinical medicine?

This is a difficult question and I am afraid there is no good answer. Unfortunately, very often promising laboratory results do not translate into clinical benefit. Having a very strong biologic rationale and having exceptional preclinical data is very important in order to pursue a new therapy in patients. For example, pursuing therapy against activating mutations has been a successful theme for new agents in certain malignancies.

“Unfortunately, very often promising laboratory results do not translate into clinical benefit. Having a very strong biologic rationale and having exceptional preclinical data is very important in order to pursue a new therapy in patients.”

 

5.     Is there a role for surgeons in basic/ clinical cancer research? Do you think they can contribute in a multidisciplinary cancer research team?

Specialists in head and neck surgery play a major role in the evaluation and treatment of head and neck cancer patients. They obviously play a major role in the development of new multimodality treatment strategies. When head and neck surgeons are also scientists they have unique opportunities to study a disease that it is usually amenable to repeat tumor sampling. With my colleagues at Thomas Jefferson University we are developing a number of window of opportunity trials in which we are prescribing immunotherapy before surgery. This study design allows us to collect information about the changes in various tissues and biologic samples after treatment with the ultimate goal of finding a biomarker for response.

“When head and neck surgeons are also scientists they have unique opportunities to study a disease that it is usually amenable to repeat tumor sampling.”

6.     What would you advise a student aspiring to follow a career in Head and Neck Cancer?

It is a growing scientific field and is certainly worthwhile to pursue a career in this area. I suggest being enthusiastic and working long hours!

Thank you very much Professor Argiris for sharing your knowledge, your experience and your ideas with THE HEAD AND NECK BLOG. It is a great honor to include you in the Expert Opinions Section!