IJGC conversations

In this IJGC podcast, Dr. Pedro Ramirez discusses RAMP 201 Results: Avutometinib and Defactinib in Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer with Susana N Banerjee and Rachel N. Grisham. Prof Susana Banerjee MBBS MA PhD FRCP is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Research Lead for the Gynaecology Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London. She is also Professor in Women’s Cancers at the Institute of Cancer Research. Dr Banerjee specialises in ovarian cancer and the systemic treatment of endometrial and cervical cancers. Prof Banerjee is President of the Royal Society of Medicine Oncology Section. Prof Banerjee graduated with a 1st class in Physiology from St John’s College, University of Cambridge. She was president of the Cambridge Medical Society in 1996-1997. She completed her medical training in 2000 at The Royal Free/University College London Medical School where she was a University of London Gold Medal finalist. Dr Banerjee gained a PhD from The Institute of Cancer Research in 2009, University of London and was awarded the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Novartis Oncology Basic Science Award for her research. Other prizes include the Association of Cancer Physicians McElwain Prize, the Sir Antony Driver Prize and the Pfizer British Oncology Association Young Investigator Award (highly commended). She received The Fellow of ESMO (FESMO) Award in 2023. Prof Banerjee has served in international specialist groups including the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Executive Steering Committee for Gynaecological Cancers, ESGO (European Society of Gynaecological Oncology) Congress Faculty and International Gynecologic Cancer Society Scientific Program Committee. Prof Susana Banerjee was elected to serve on the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Executive Board as Director of Membership (2020-2022). She was Track Chair for Gynaecological Cancers for the ESMO Congress 2018, Scientific Co-Chair for ESMO Asia 2018 and Co-Chair of the ESMO Gynaecological Cancers Congress 2021-2024. She is currently co-chair of the Gynecological Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) Rare Cancers Committee. She is a Theme Lead (Cancer Treatment Effects) for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research. Prof Banerjee is an author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications including in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Annals of Oncology. Her research interests include individualisation of patient treatment, targeted therapies (including PARP inhibitors) and rare gynaecological cancers. Prof Banerjee has Global and UK Chief Investigator roles of over 30 national and international clinical trials. She led the ENGOTov60/GOG3052/RAMP201 trial globally which resulted in FDA accelerated approval for avutometinib and defactanib - the first approved therapy specifically for low grade serous ovarian cancer.   Dr. Rachel N. Grisham is a medical oncologist and internationally recognized expert in gynecologic cancers, with a particular focus on low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (LGSOC) and rare ovarian malignancies. She has played a leading role in advancing systemic therapy for ovarian cancer through clinical trials, translational research, and national guideline development. Dr. Grisham has been at the forefront of evaluating novel targeted therapies for LGSOC, including MEK inhibitors, avutometinib, and defactinib, as well as hormone-directed strategies and combinations with novel agents. She has served as principal or co-investigator on multiple pivotal trials, including ENGOT-OV60/GOG-3052/RAMP 201 and RAMP 301, which are shaping the future treatment landscape for recurrent LGSOC. Her work extends to biomarker-driven approaches, exploring MAPK pathway alterations, homologous recombination deficiency, and folate receptor alpha expression, with the goal of developing precision oncology strategies in ovarian cancer. In addition to clinical trials, Dr. Grisham has published extensively on the molecular landscape and clinicopathologic features of ovarian tumors, treatment paradigms for granulosa cell tumors and clear cell carcinoma, and the management of rare gynecologic neoplasms such as mesonephric-like adenocarcinomas. She is a co-author of the NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancers, reflecting her leadership in shaping standards of care. Her scholarly contributions include over a decade of influential publications in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, Gynecologic Oncology, International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, and Cancer. She has also authored consensus statements and state-of-the-science reviews that provide critical guidance for clinicians worldwide. Through her clinical research, teaching, and collaborative international work, Dr. Grisham has made significant contributions to improving outcomes for women with gynecologic cancers, particularly those with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, a historically under-researched disease.

In this IJGC podcast, Dr. Pedro Ramirez discusses SENTIX Trial with David Cibula. Dr. David Cibula graduated from the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague in 1992. Since 2003, he has served as the Chair of the Gynecological Oncology Center at the University Hospital in Prague, and in 2022, he became the head of the Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Neonatology. He is a former President of the European Society of Gynecologic Oncology and previously led the International Group for Guidelines and Quality Indicators in Cervical Cancer. He is the founder and chair of the Central and Eastern European Group for Clinical Trials in Gynecologic Oncology, a member of ENGOT. Dr. Cibula has also established two charitable organizations supporting patients with gynecologic cancers and promoting research in the field. He is the author or co-author of hundreds of scientific publications. His recent article in Nature Cancer presents the final results of the SENTIX study on sentinel lymph node biopsy in early-stage cervical cancer.

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez, is joined by Dr. Frédéric Amant to discuss ESGO/INCIP 2025 Guidelines for Cancer in Pregnancy.   Frédéric Amant (MD, PhD) received his medical degree from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium in 1992, completed his specialty training as an obstetrician/gynecologist in 1998 and his subspecialty training in gynecologic oncology in 2000. He defended his thesis on uterine sarcomas in 2002 at the KU Leuven. He is specialist at the UZ Leuven in Belgium. He is professor at the KU Leuven in Belgium and at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and honorary professor at the university of Pretoria, South Africa. Since 2024 he is council member of the European Society of Gynecologic Oncology. Frédéric Amant heads the Gynecologic Oncology research section at the University of Leuven, Belgium and at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. In 2005 he founded the “International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy” (INCIP)(www.cancerinpregnancy.org), and chairs this network up till now. Since 2014, INCIP also registers young women who aim to preserve their fertility. In 2021 he launched the Advisory Board Cancer Infertility Pregnancy (ABCIP) under the umbrella of INCIP. In addition, Frédéric Amant founded Trace, the tumor xenograft platform at the KU Leuven and the Fund for Innovative Research at the KU Leuven. He co-founded ENITEC, the European Network on Individualized Treatment of Endometrial Cancer. Since 2024 he is member of the research council at the KU Leuven.

In this IJGC podcast, Dr. Pedro Ramirez discusses SUROVA Study: Surgery vs Neoadjuvant Therapy in Ovarian Cancer with Luis Chiva.   Prof. Luis M. Chiva, MD, PhD, is Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Gynecology and Medical Ethics at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. An internationally recognized leader in gynecologic oncology, he is renowned for his expertise in complex pelvic oncologic surgery and his commitment to advancing surgical quality and patient-centered care. A graduate of the University of Madrid, Dr. Chiva completed his gynecologic oncology fellowship at Rush-Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. He later directed the Gynecologic Oncology Department at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid and established educational collaborations with MD Anderson Houston. Dr. Chiva has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, delivered more than 300 invited lectures, and spearheaded key educational initiatives such as the international “Meet the Surgeon” program. He has held major leadership roles within ESGO, including serving as council member, chair of the Quality Assurance and Certification Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of the ESGO e-Academy platform. He was presented for Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons in 2021.  

In this IJGC podcast, Dr. Pedro Ramirez discusses Updates in Radiotherapy in Gynecologic Cancers with Junzo Chino.   Dr. Chino is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of Brachytherapy at the Duke Cancer Center. He has authored over 100 publications in the peer reviewed literature, and his research interests are concentrated in radiation therapy for gynecologic cancer, as well as health services and disparities. He was lead author of the ASTRO guidelines task force for cervical cancer, and served as the GYN section editor at the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. His recent article published in Cancer focuses on Recent advances in gynecologic radiation oncology.