In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Aparna Parikh, MD, about cancer and GI malignancies in the global health space, circulating tumor DNA in the field of oncology and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :58
•    About Parikh 1:07
•    The interview 2:08    
•    What was your path into medicine, cancer care and GI oncology? 2:35
•    Tell us about what you do in the global health space and what your thoughts are on colon cancer and GI malignancies in the global health space. 8:07
•    Why are we seeing so many more young people being diagnosed with colon cancer in the US and internationally? 12:24
•    Do you think US lifestyle and Western diets compared to the rest of the world have contributed to the rise of early colon cancer diagnoses?  15:04
•    How can physicians talk about lifestyle, diet and environmental/social determinants of health that impact a cancer diagnosis? 17:52
•    Can you provide a brief overview of what is circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and liquid biopsy, and how are we using it in this space? 19:44
•    Jain and Parikh on ctDNA as an innovation can be transformative in the field of GI oncology.  24:06
•    What are your predictions for GI oncology in the next ten to twenty years?  26:06
•    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 28:44
•    How to contact Parikh 30:57
•    Thanks for listening 31:57

Aparna Parikh, MD, is a GI oncologist at the MGH Cancer Center where she directs the colorectal research program and young adults CRC program. She is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and an international expert in CRC and liquid biopsies.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow Healio on X, formerly known as Twitter, and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD. Parikh can be reached via email [email protected].

Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. Parikh reports equity in C2i Genomics XGenomes Cadex and Parithera. Advisor/consultant for Abbvie, AZ, Bayer, Biofidelity, Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, CVS, Delcath, Eli Lilly, FMI, Guardant, Hookipa, Illumina, Inivata, Mirati, Pfizer, Saga, Seagen, Taiho, Scare Inc, Science For America, and Value Analytics Lab. She receives fees from Up to Date.  She has received travel fees from Karkinos Healthcare. She has been on the DSMC for a Roche study and on Steering Committee for Exilixis. She has received research funding to the Institution from BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Erasca, Genentech, Mirati, Novartis, PMV Pharmaceuticals, Plexxicon, PureTech, Takeda and Syndax.