VINCENT FELLOWS IN GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY


Pursuing Women’s Cancers

Each year, approximately 95,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer including the five main types — ovarian, cervical, uterine, vaginal and vulvar cancer. More than 30,000 will die. With support from The Vincent Memorial Hospital Foundation, Vincent fellows in Gynecologic Oncology are seeking new ways to improve outcomes and save lives.

What Mechanisms Underly Resistance to Bispecific T-cell Engager Therapy for Advanced or Recurrent Serous Ovarian Cancer?

What Mechanisms Underly Resistance to Bispecific T-cell Engager Therapy for Advanced or Recurrent Serous Ovarian Cancer?

Syem Barakzai, MD, a Vincent fellow in Gynecologic Oncology, is assessing the activity of “bispecific T-cell engager molecules” on different cell lines of patients with advanced or recurrent serous ovarian cancer who are participating in clinical trials. Bispecific T-cell engager molecules are a class of monoclonal antibodies that direct a host’s immune system — specifically the cytotoxic T cell — against cancer cells. They are bispecific because they form a link between T cells and cancer cells, activating the T cell to kill the cancer cell. In laboratory studies, Dr. Barakzai is assessing blood and tumor samples from patients who have progressed through taking this investigational therapy, seeking possible characteristics that contribute to a good or poor response. This research will help clinicians determine suitable candidates for this novel ovarian-cancer treatment and suggest future combination therapies.

Faculty Mentor

Oladapo Yeku, MD, PhD, Director of Translational Research, Gynecologic Oncology Program; Associate Member, VCRB; Member, Center for Cellular Therapeutics, Mass General; Member, Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapeutics

Career Path

MD:  Tulane University School of Medicine, 2014–2018
OB/GYN Residency:  University of Southern California. 2018–2022
Vincent Fellowship:  Gynecologic Oncology, Vincent Department of OB/GYN, Mass General, 2022–2025

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What Are the Barriers to Accessing High-quality Vulvar Cancer Care?

What Are the Barriers to Accessing High-quality Vulvar Cancer Care?

Alexandra Bercow, MD, is a Vincent fellow in Gynecologic Oncology and research fellow at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research involves analyzing information from national clinical databases to identify deficits and disparities in the treatment of vulvar cancer, a rare gynecologic malignancy. She is currently using the National Cancer Database, a U.S. cancer registry with over 70,000 records of women with vulvar cancer, to identify gaps in appropriate treatment of early-stage vulvar cancer and how it affects patient outcomes in order to develop clinical strategies and healthy policies to improve these disparities.

Faculty Mentors
Vincent Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology
Eric Eisenhauer, MD, Division Director and Fellowship Director, Vincent OB/GYN Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Amy Bregar, MD, Associate Fellowship Director, Vincent OB/GYN Division of Gynecologic Oncology

Center for Surgery and Public Health Fellowship
Christina Minami, MD MS, Surgeon, Division of Breast Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Department of Surgery
George Molina, MD MPH, Surgeon, Division of Surgical Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Department of Surgery

Career Path
MD:  College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 2013–2017
OB/GYN Residency:  Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency Program. 2017–2021
Vincent Fellowship:  Gynecologic Oncology, Vincent Department of OB/GYN, Mass General, 2021–2024

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What Tumor Mutations Are Associated with Recurrent Endometrial Cancer?

What Tumor Mutations Are Associated with Recurrent Endometrial Cancer?

Varvara Mazina, MD, a Vincent fellow in Gynecologic Oncology, is focused on finding novel therapies for recurrent endometrial cancer. Using an FDA-approved platform to detect tumor gain-of-function mutations, mutational burden, loss of heterozygosity and checkpoint protein RNA dosage, her research seeks to identify associations among the tumor molecular characteristics with clinical outcomes. Her current work is focused on testing the hypothesis that a subset of endometrial tumors harbors a significant degree of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) that associates with expression of immune checkpoint proteins. Her findings will provide preclinical rationale for clinical trials investigating the role of dual immune checkpoint and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibition in women with recurrent endometrial cancer.

Faculty Mentors
Bo Rueda, PhD, Director, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology
Sarah Johnstone, MD, PhD, Clinical Fellow in Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Whitfield Growdon, MD, Investigator, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Vincent OB/GYN Division of Gynecologic Oncology (thru 10/15/21)

Career Path
MD:  University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 2016
OB/GYN Residency:  University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 2016–2020
Vincent Fellowship:  Gynecologic Oncology, Vincent Department of OB/GYN, Mass General, 2020–2023

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