As 2025 comes to a close, I'm reflecting on the outstanding people and teams I've been lucky to work with at Dana-Farber to advance lung cancer care in the clinic and in research
Look forward to a bright 2026!
@danafarber.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social #lcsm
Great to share lung cancer research updates with colleagues and friends at the 2025 IASLC NACLC meeting
Thank you to chairs Drs. Bestvina, Marrone, Rengan and Gillaspie for organizing an energizing and fun conference
@iaslc.bsky.social @danafarber.bsky.social #NACLC25
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Our paper has addtnl details on how this cancer presents & outcomes
Ty ☆ @justinjkim.bsky.social, Sara Walton, co-authors and collaborators, our patients, and funding sources, including #NIH #NCI 🙏
@danafarber.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social @harvard.edu @rheumcat.bsky.social
4/ What are clues to think about NUT carcinoma?
We found that NUT carcinoma almost always presents as a poorly differentiated/ squamous thoracic, head or neck carcinoma
Clinicians should discuss with pathologists whether a gold standard test for NUT carcinoma should be ordered in these cases
3/ Using our registry (nc-registry.org), we found that while diagnosis is improving over time, NUT carcinoma is still underrecognized after a diagnostic biopsy
Of note, NUT IHC (turnaround time ~7 days) is 100% specific in these cases
NUT IHC/FISH and RNA fusion NGS are diagnostic gold standards
2/ WHY does it matter?
🧬 NUT carcinoma is fusion oncogene driven and aggressive, with no FDA approved treatments
Non-metastatic diagnosis needs multi-D evaluation to give patients the best chance
Clinical trials should be considered for a metastatic diagnosis
Ref: doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...
Abstract Purpose Diagnostic delays are common for patients with NUT carcinoma (NC), a cancer driven by NUT fusion oncoprotein. Rapid diagnosis is crucial for the best outcomes. We investigated NC's presenting features and associations with diagnostic delays. Methods We manually reviewed medical records from US participants in the NC Registry (2007-2024). Baseline features were analyzed descriptively, and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine odds ratios for delays. Results We analyzed 132 patients (median age 37 years). At presentation, 55% had metastatic disease and 64% had a thoracic primary. The median interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was 10 weeks (range, 1-165 weeks). The initial histopathologic diagnosis was poorly differentiated/squamous cell cancer in 52%, insufficient malignant cells in 14%, carcinoma in 12%, and NC in 22%. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing revealed NUT in 100%; 93% were keratin+, 88% p63+, 89% p40+, and 72% had Ki-67 ≥50%. IHC was used to diagnose NC in 79%. Nonthoracic primaries were associated with a longer time between symptom onset and NC diagnosis (odds ratio, 3.25). Of 32 patients who started treatment before diagnosis, 78% were on agents appropriate for NC. After a diagnosis of NC, 33% participated in clinical trials. Conclusion NC almost always presents as squamous/poorly differentiated non–small cell lung or head and neck cancer. Overall, 78% of patients were initially diagnosed as non-NC. Efforts to raise awareness, recognition, and rapid diagnosis of NC by both oncologists and pathologists are critical if we are to improve outcomes.
1/ In JCO: PO, we describe the presentation of NUT carcinoma- it almost always presents as a poorly differentiated/ squamous lung, head and neck cancer, with a mean biopsy to diagnosis interval of 7 weeks (!)
🫁 🗣️ doi.org/10.1200/PO-2... #medsky #oncsky #lungcancer @ascocancer.bsky.social
🧵A thread:
🚨 >50% of ID fellowships went unfilled—just as the need is surging.
Currently on ID consults and seeing unprecedented volumes and an increasingly immunocompromised population at risk for life-threatening infections.
I’m worried we’re heading toward fewer specialists when we need them most.
Alexander Drilon, Jolanta Grembecka, Jessica Jiyeong Lin, and Jia Luo will discuss "Translating Discoveries Toward New Therapies" in a plenary session at the AACR Conference on Fusion-Positive Cancers (January 13-15, 2026; Philadelphia). Learn more:
buff.ly/3jO4l4j
#AACRfusion26 @jia-luo.bsky.social
@stolaney1.bsky.social addresses a full house during the #ESMO25 presidential discussion on Reshaping Density – Transforming Outcomes in High-Risk HER2+ Breast Cancer.
Dr. Pasi Jänne of Dana-Farber Cancer Institutes presents at #ESMO25.
Lung cancer research at #ESMO25: Chemotherapy combo boosts overall survival in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. @danafarber.bsky.social's Dr. Pasi Jänne presents the complete data from phase 3 FLAURA2 study.
Press release ➡️bit.ly/47oV0hd
What a great throwback!
Brings me back to middle school computer lab when - as the cool kids - we were using this little known search called "google" on our bright boxy blue iMacs when the standard at the time was Ask Jeeves
A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr
What a fantastic IASLC WCLC25!
Congrats to star resident (onc-to-be!) Dr Huang &
We had a superb global multi-D discussion on ground glass/semisolid lung nodules - packed room in our last session of the day!
TY chairs Drs Naidoo Opitz Malapelle & Noemi - feeling inspired 🙏
@iaslc.bsky.social
For us ID doctors, the CDC has been a rock. Data, guidelines, surveillance, travel advice -- all there, vetted by experts, referenced, reliable. Perfect? No. But watching its dismantling now breaks my heart. Some thoughts: blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser...
🩻 Look forward to our interactive multidisciplinary lung nodules session @ IASLC WCLC 2025 meeting next week, September 6-9 in Barcelona
It's been fantastic to plan our program with this group of experts spanning the 🗺️, meeting 6am (PT) - 11pm (AEST)!
wclc.iaslc.org #lcsm @iaslc.bsky.social #WCLC25
Congratulations, Juan!!
New report from AAMC about clinical trials, other grants, and training
www.aamc.org/about-us/mis...
Please join us in congratulating Alice Shaw, MD, PhD, on being named our next Chair of the Department of Medical Oncology.
Learn more: bit.ly/45wiiQ6
Photos of the Endowed Lecture interview with Dr Wiliam Pao, including Drs Luo, Jänne, Rotow, Barbie, Sitara and the in person crowd
Fantastic to interview Dr. William Pao about his book "Breakthrough" with Dr. Jänne
So inspiring for us to hear stories about resiliency and learning from failure in research to develop transformational medicines
Special thanks to Sitara & the Chen-Huang Center #lcsm @danafarber.bsky.social
Excited to host drug developer extraordinaire Dr. William Pao at Dana-Farber
Dr. Jänne and I will interview Dr. Pao tomorrow (Tuesday, August 12) about his book, Breakthrough, "a triumphant read about overcoming disease"
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Breakt... @danafarbernews.bsky.social
🩺 In NEJM, our interactive case on a common CC - evaluation of a patient with new pulmonary symptoms www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Congrats to star fellow Dr Joanne I. Hsu for leading & wonderful to learn from expert multi-D colleagues @anandvaidya17.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social @nejm.org
Research group dinner. From left to right: Dr Paoloni, Huang, Sara Walton, Justin Kim, Dr Luo, and Dr Pecci
Dr Paoloni (center) with Drs French and Luo
Celebrating endings and new beginnings - it has been fantastic to have Dr Paoloni on our research team during his awarded American-Italian Cancer Foundation Research Fellowship grant!
@danafarber.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social #lcsm
New STAT story about multi-year funding.
www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/n...
End/ Thank you to 💫 first author @justinjkim.bsky.social, Prof French, co-author experts and collaborators, our patients, and funding sources, including NIH NCI
Accompanying article: www.dana-farber.org/newsroom/new... @danafarber.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social
4/ In summary, if NUT carcinoma is suspected clinically – eg in a poorly differentiated aggressive cancer of lung, head or neck origin - clinicians should discuss with pathology colleagues whether a gold standard test for NUT carcinoma should be ordered
Our paper also includes co-mutations, fusions
Graph from paper showing NC detection pre vs post 2020. DNA panel tests included NUT carcinoma genes more, but fewer cases were identified in those who tested. RNA fusion testing is improving. A figure reminding that NUT IHC is 100% specific.
3/ Using our international registry (nc-registry.org), we found that while more DNA NGS panels are including NUT carcinoma defining fusion genes, this did not improve detection
Of note, NUT IHC (turnaround time ~7 days) is 100% specific in these cases
NUT IHC/FISH and RNA fusion are gold standards
2/ WHY does it matter?
🧬 NUT carcinoma is fusion oncogene driven and aggressive, with no FDA approved treatments
Non-metastatic diagnosis needs multi-D evaluation to give patients the best chance
Clinical trials should be considered for a metastatic diagnosis
Ref: www.jto.org/article/S155...
