If you are unable to access ON24, click here.
In the upcoming webinar presentation, Dr. Rahimi will provide a comprehensive review of the evidence presented during the October series. The key focus of this discussion will be on the role of radiotherapy in treating breast cancer, with a specific focus on the use of CyberKnife® and Radixact® Systems. Dr. Rahimi will explain the benefits and potential side effects and discuss the factors that influence the treatment choice. Moreover, Dr. Rahimi will provide valuable insights into the latest advancements in breast radiotherapy and share the latest research findings.
Presenter: Asal Rahimi, M.D., MS, Associate Professor, Chief of Breast Radiation, U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Dr. Asal Rahimi is a California native and completed her undergraduate degree at The University of California San Diego (UCSD) in Biochemistry, followed by a master’s degree in applied Physiology, and then Medical School at The Chicago Medical School. She then pursued a Radiation Oncology Residency at The University of Virginia (UVA). Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW), the Division Chief of Breast Radiation, and Associate Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is the Medical Director for the Clinical Trials Research Office at the Simmons Cancer Center.
She also runs and writes her Investigator-Initiated clinical trials. Her clinical research is focused on reducing the volume of tissue being irradiated and the number of treatments for women undergoing breast radiation for breast cancer using stereotactic partial breast irradiation techniques. (i.e., the most recent trial utilized one radiation treatment pre-operatively, compared to 33 radiation treatments). She was one of the first investigators to use SPBI for breast cancer, and her research has helped develop these techniques. She has published and presented her research internationally and commonly teaches other physicians advanced breast radiation techniques. She also serves on the NCCN Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Committee, which develops national guidelines for breast cancer treatments and risk reduction in the United States. One of her greatest joys is treating and participating in her patients’ journey and being there for them.
Moderator: Frank A. Vicini, M.D., FACR, FASTRO, FABS, Chief Academic Officer, Michigan Healthcare Professionals, USA
Dr. Frank A. Vicini, M.D. FACR, is the Chief Academic Officer for Michigan Healthcare Professionals and Professor of Radiation Oncology. He received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and is board-certified in therapeutic radiology. He is a former breast cancer fellow at Harvard Medical School, where he was also on staff before returning to Michigan in 1990. He has done extensive research primarily for targeting radiation with greater precision for women with early-stage breast cancer and on reducing short and long-term morbidities associated with these treatments.
Dr. Vicini has been involved in numerous national clinical studies involving breast and prostate cancer and has designed and developed numerous phase I/II trials to evaluate low-dose rate and high-dose-rate brachytherapy as the sole method of radiation therapy for selected patients with Stage I & II breast carcinoma as well as 3D conformal external beam RT APBI. He was the principal investigator for RTOG 0319, a phase II study exploring the use of 3D conformal external beam irradiation to the lumpectomy cavity alone for selected patients with early-stage breast cancer. He is currently the Principal Investigator for the national NSABP B39/RTOG 0413 phase III study comparing partial breast irradiation (PBI) versus whole breast irradiation. He is also the PI for a second phase III trial from the NCI to investigate accelerated whole breast irradiation with a concurrent boost versus standard therapy for women with early-stage breast cancer. His research continues to focus on improving therapeutic outcomes for all stages of breast cancer, reducing treatment times and minimising damage to healthy tissue and vital organs. Innovations have included the development of breath hold techniques to reduce or minimize long-term cardiac toxicity in women treated with left-sided breast cancer and the use of IMRT to reduce acute radiation toxicities to the skin and late toxicities to prevent breast and arm edema, lung and heart-related morbidity in women treated for breast cancer.
Dr. Vicini has authored over 200 articles on breast and prostate cancer, published in numerous scientific, peer-reviewed journals. He has presented his research at national and international meetings and has been a visiting professor in the United States and Europe. He has also authored multiple textbook chapters and is on the editorial board of several oncology journals, including Cancer, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Vicini has also been a frequent author of notable Lymphedema publications. These have included a comprehensive, peer-reviewed publication that summarizes the key relevant supporting documentation on Breast Cancer cancer-related lymphedema, as well as a systematic review of his eight years of experience as the Medical Director for the Lymphedma Program at William Beaumont Hospital. Recently, at the 2012 Annual Breast Cancer Coordinated Care Conference (BC3), sponsored by Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Vicini presented critical new data on key clinical findings from a multi-site registry study for which he served as Principal Investigator titled “Multi-Institutional Analysis of Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) in the Early Detection of Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema.”
Dr. Vicini’s previous positions have included:
- Chief of Oncology, Beaumont Hospitals
- Professor, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
- Director, Radiation Oncology Residency Program
- Director, Brachytherapy/hyperthermia Fellowship Program
- Director, Radiation Therapy School
His academic appointments have included Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and Professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.
