Body Composition and Cancer Outcomes Research Webinar Series
The purpose of the Body Composition and Cancer Outcomes Research webinar series is to provide an opportunity for researchers and other interested individuals to share lessons learned, new methodologies, and new research integrating measures of body composition in cancer epidemiology research. This series is hosted by the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program.
All interested individuals are invited to participate, however pre-registration is required. Each presentation will be about 30-40 minutes in length to allow for 20-30 minutes of discussion. Instructions for connecting to the webinars will be sent via e-mail to individuals who register.
Upcoming Topics and Speakers
Body Composition in Cancer Epidemiology: Assessment, Associations and Future Directions
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Elizabeth Feliciano, ScD, MSc
Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Dr. Feliciano will present an overview of her research examining body composition as an important risk factor for short- and long-term outcomes after a cancer diagnosis. She will also discuss important questions surrounding this issue, including the biologic mechanisms that underlie these relationships, developing safe and accurate measures of body composition for use in the clinic, and how patient body composition is most relevant to clinical care.
Past Topics and Speakers
2021
Defining and Managing Cachexia at the Individual Level
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Marcus DaSilva Goncalves, M.D., Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Goncalves presented an overview of his clinical work assessing and managing cachexia in cancer patients. He used specific case examples and retrospective data to highlight potential weight management strategies.
Body Composition and Treatment-Related Toxicities
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Michael Sawyer, M.D., B.Sc. Pharmacy
Medical Oncologist and Clinical Pharmacologist, Cross Cancer Institute
Professor, Department of Oncology, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Alberta
Dr. Sawyer presented an overview of research describing how body composition contributes to treatment-related toxicities in cancer patients. Implications for drug dosing and metabolism were discussed.
Investigating the BMI Paradox in Kidney Cancer
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Helena Furberg, MSPH, Ph.D.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Furberg discussed the body mass index (BMI) paradox in kidney cancer- where patients who have high BMI at diagnosis survive longer than patients who are classified as normal weight. She highlighted the research her group is doing related to the molecular underpinnings of this association and also described the RESOLVE Study which refines BMI into body composition features and transcriptomically profiles tumors from more than 1,000 kidney cancer patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to more accurately identify patients at highest mortality risk.
2020
Automating Body Composition from Routinely Acquired CT images-towards 3D measurements
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Mirza Faisal Beg, Ph.D., P.Eng
Simon Fraser University
Dr. Beg presented recent developments in automating body composition measurements from CT scans and discussed applications for research.
Sarcopenia and Cancer Survival: Findings, Gaps, and Future Research
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Bette J. Caan, Dr.P.H.
Senior Research Scientist and Nutritional Epidemiologist
Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Division of Research
Dr. Caan presented an overview of the work to date on sarcopenia (loss of skeletal muscle mass and/or function) and cancer outcomes. She discussed methodological challenges and existing research gaps and identify future directions.
Previous Body Composition and Cancer Webinar Series
A previous series of webinars, hosted by Dr. Bette Caan of Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, was held from 2018-2020.
- 06/18/2020
Andrew Dannenberg, M.D., M.P.H. - “Measurement of adipose inflammation and its relationship to body composition.” - 05/21/2020
Peggy Cawthon, Ph.D., M.P.H. - “The new sarcopenia definition and outcomes consortium definitions of sarcopenia in aging: How can we adapt them to be used for cancer patients?” - 04/16/2020
Michael Rosenthal, M.D., Ph.D. - “Automated measurement of body composition in cancer patients: a radiologist perspective on integrating into clinical care.” - 02/20/2020
Kristin Campbell, Ph.D. - “Maintaining muscle health with exercise in cancer survivors: when and how to intervene.” - 01/16/2020
Jose Garcia, Ph.D. - “The biology of muscle loss in cancer and current therapeutic trials for the treatment of muscle loss.” - 12/19/2019
Patrick Bradshaw, Ph.D. - “Optimal stratification cutpoints for definition of sarcopenia and other body composition measures: When is it appropriate and when is it not?” - 11/21/2019
Maria Cristina Gonzalez, M.D., Ph.D. - “The use of bioelectrical impedance analysis (and phase angle) in cancer research.” - 10/17/2019
Stewart Wang, M.D., Ph.D. - “Normative values for body composition from multiple non-cancer populations.” - 09/26/2019
Carla Prado, Ph.D. - “Building muscle mass with targeted nutrition supplementation.” - 05/09/2019
Karteek Popuri, Ph.D. - “Automatic image segmentation for Body Composition Analysis” - 04/11/2019
Bill Evans, Ph.D. - “Use of D3-creatine dilution to measure muscle mass” - 03/14/2019
Brian Wolpin, M.D. - “Altered systemic metabolism as a marker of early pancreatic cancer” - 02/14/2019
Steven Heymsfield, M.D. - “11th International SCWD conference on cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle wasting” - 01/10/2019
Marina Mourtzakis, Ph.D. - “Methodological considerations for measuring muscle and fat quantity and quality using computed tomography and ultrasound.” - 11/08/2018
Vickie Baracos, Ph.D. - “Chemotoxicity in cancer: the sarcopenic obese patient.”
Contact Us
We welcome questions about individual webinars or the series.
Contact the Planning Committee