VISE Guest Seminar: The Changing Face of Tissue Biopsy. TUESDAY Dec 1, 12:00. SC 5326, Refreshments provided at 11:50.
Title:
The Changing Face of Tissue Biopsy
Guest Speaker:
Alda L. Tam, MD, Associate Professor of Interventional Radiology, Department of Interventional Radiology
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Date: TUESDAY, December 1st
Time: noon-1pm
Place: Stevenson Center 5326
Abstract:
Image-guided percutaneous biopsy is a common procedure in oncology, integral to confirming the diagnosis of cancer, staging the disease, and determining tumor histology. However, in the era of personalized medicine, where advances in knowledge of specific cellular pathways and characterization of tissue at molecular and genetic levels has resulted in an increase in targeted therapies, the role of the image-guided percutaneous biopsy is evolving. Biopsy samples are required for more than just histologic diagnosis, as biomarker status now guides standard of care therapy in a growing number of solid tumors including melanoma, breast, colon, and lung cancer. We evaluate why standard biopsy techniques may no longer be adequate in the era of personalized medicine and explore strategies to improve biopsy yield.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Alda Tam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interventional Radiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She earned her undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Brown University, medical degree from the University of British Columbia, and masters in business administration from the University of California, Irvine. She completed her radiology residency at the University of Southern California, interventional radiology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and subsequently joined the faculty in 2006. She is certified by the American Board of Radiology, and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Interventional Radiology. Dr. Tam maintains an active clinical practice with a special interest in using embolization and ablation therapy to provide loco-regional therapy to hepatic, bone, and lung tumors. She is involved in clinical trials, both as a principal investigator for evaluating minimally invasive therapeutic techniques as well as being a key collaborator for tissue acquisition for several Moon Shot initiatives. Her current research endeavors in clinical research are related to determining strategies for optimizing image-guided biopsy in the age of genomic medicine. Her translational research efforts focus on evaluating the use of novel technologies such as irreversible electroporation and nanoparticles to treat liver and skeletal metastases, as well as developing computational tools to guide and personalize ablative therapy. She has served as the Director for Clinical Research in the department and now currently serves as the Medical Director.