Dr. John Paul Shen, MD Anderson Cancer Center - Appendix Cancer Quarterly Update

Dr. John Paul Shen of MD Anderson Cancer Center joins Appendicure for a research update on appendiceal cancer — what's new in treatment, what the latest data actually means for patients, and a live Q&A from our community. The core message: appendix cancer is not colon cancer, and treating it that way is often the wrong move. Dr. Shen walks through why tumor grade matters so much, when chemo helps and when it doesn't, and the treatments his lab is most excited about — including KRAS inhibitors, immune therapy, BROMAC, and intraperitoneal clinical trials. This is an educational discussion for patients and caregivers. It is not medical advice — always discuss your specific situation with your care team. Chapters 0:00 Welcome & introductions 1:48 What Dr. Shen is researching in Switzerland (tumor "stiffness" testing) 3:30 The landscape: why appendix cancer ≠ colon cancer 4:30 Why tumor grade (1, 2, 3) changes everything 6:00 When chemo doesn't work — the low-grade data 8:00 Tracking disease with tumor markers (CEA, CA19-9, CA125) 9:30 CDK4/6 drugs for GNAS-mutant tumors (Ibrance) 10:30 Immune therapy: high risk, high reward 12:00 Intraperitoneal paclitaxel trial (slots still open) 14:00 KRAS inhibitors — what Dr. Shen is most excited about 16:18 Live Q&A begins 17:08 What KRAS, TP53, and SMAD4 mean on your report 19:34 The grade 2 problem 24:02 Photon-counting CT & live questions 24:46 What "low grade" really means + grade 2 chemo 27:51 PET vs. CT scans 29:14 Right hemicolectomy & goblet cell 30:58 The BROMAC (pineapple enzyme) update 32:47 RAS inhibitors for KRAS-mutant tumors 34:38 How to get clinical trial information 36:28 Treatments that target mucin 38:03 What to ask your doctor when they recommend chemo 39:54 Why goblet cell behaves differently 42:27 Can retrospective studies be trusted? 44:28 Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) 46:35 Why your data matters: registries 49:12 How AI is speeding up research Connect with Appendicure 🔗 Webinars & resources: [appendicure.com/webinars] 📋 Join our patient data registry: [link] 👥 Private community group: [Facebook group link] #AppendixCancer #AppendicealCancer #RareCancer #PMP #Appendicure #CancerResearch #ClinicalTrials