2024 Meetings reports

There were 2 meetings this year:  Cardiff  (April 2024) | London (October 2024) - see below ...

Cardiff - April 2024

*Numbers in brackets give approximate times in the presentation where that specific topic is discussed.

Overview
  1. Nic Puntis- GIST Cancer UK Update and IDRX-42 trial
  2. Dr Betsan Thomas - GIST Cancer in Wales: Treatment, Trials and Support at the Velindre Cancer Centre
  3. Dr Zoe Walters, Innovation for Translation Research Group at University of Southampton - The GIST Tumour Micro Environment
  4. Dr Lesley Storey, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University -  "Lived Experience of GIST"

1.) Nic Puntis- GIST Cancer UK Update and IDRX-42 trial 

What GIST Cancer UK is doing for patients and carers (0:30). Newly funded research projects (6:00). IDRx-42 trial - background, target group (6:30) and eligibility (12:00).

2.) Dr Betsan Thomas - GIST Cancer in Wales: Treatment, Trials and Support at the Velindre Cancer Centre
What are GISTs (1:25). Support in Wales (3:50). Multi-Disciplinary Teams (5:10). Support mechanisms (9:00). Tests and scans (9:50). Mutational analysis (12:50). European guidelines for treatment and associated pathways (15:15). Current trials (22:20). Radiotherapy (24:50). SABR (26:40). Q&A (28:00).

3.) Dr Zoe Walters, Innovation for Translation Research Group at University of Southampton - The GIST Tumour Micro Environment 
Research at Southampton. The Tumour Micro-environment ((6:45). Implications for GISTs (9:00). Single-cell RNA sequencing (10:00). Technical analysis using supercomputers ((20:00). Finding new targets for drugs ((22:20). Future plans (23:50). Q&A (25:40).

4.) Dr Lesley Storey, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University -  "Lived Experience of GIST"  (London 2023)
Background to the research including interviews with patients. Key Findings (5:30). Problems in diagnosis (7:00). Quality of life issues (10:48). Planning for the future (19:45). Relationships and social support (23:06). Im[act on self-employed (26:20).
Indirect financial costs (28:26). Occupation and finances (30:08). Impact on sex-life (30:00). Future research (33:17). Q&A (35:30).

London, UK meeting - October 2024

Overview

  1. Nic Puntis - Welcome and Introduction
  2. Zoe Waters - GIST Research at the University of Southampton
  3. Robin Jones- Clinical trials
  4. Zoe Waters and Robin Jones - Joint Q&A
  5. Deborah Warner - Nutrition
  6. Deborah Warner - Q&A

1.) Nic Puntis (Chair, GCUK) - Welcome and GIST Cancer UK Update 

Dr Zoe Walters, Associate Professor in Translational Epigenomics - GIST Research at the University of Southampton

Relationship between tumour cells and other cells in the Tumour Micro-environment (4:25).  Single-cell RNA sequencing (9:00).  Locating RNA cell types in situ - Spatial Transcriptonics (15:15).  Aims of GCUK and SarcomaUK funded research - building a picture of the micro-environment, identifying therapeutic targets and finding biomarkers (17:00).  Generating laboratory models of GIST ((19:00).  Using CRISPA gene editing (21:30).  Next plans - using natural killer-cells, importance of tail lengths in cancer cells (22:30).

Professor Robin Jones, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Royal Marsden Hospital - Clinical Trials in GIST
Localised disease and use of Imatinib. Outcomes of 3 years vs 1 year Scandinavian and French trials (4:00). The 3 years vs 5 years Scandinavian trial (7:10). Use of Bezulclastinib on some resistant KIT mutations (8:50). Combination therapy - the PEAK trial (10:00). The Intrigue trial for KIT 11, 17 and 18 mutations (12:15). Insight trial (14:30). IDRX-42 trial (15:13). NB003 trial (17:30).

Joint Q&A Zoe Waters and Robin Jones

Deborah Warner, Registered Nutrition Scientist - Nutrition for Cancer Patients

Deborah Warner - Q&A on Nutrition for Cancer Patients