PHOENIX — From artificial intelligence (AI) tools and robotic-assisted surgery to a newly approved targeted therapy, Mayo Clinic experts in Arizona are helping to advance the way pancreatic cancer is identified and treated.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, in part because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and Mayo Clinic experts in Arizona are available to discuss advances in research and care, including the use of AI to assess risk, robotic-assisted surgery and a newly approved treatment for certain patients with advanced disease.
Broadcast-quality B-roll is available here for each expert in their respective areas of work.
Imon Banerjee, Ph.D. | Using AI to assess pancreatic cancer risk
Imon Banerjee, Ph.D., scientific director of the Arizona Advanced AI and Innovation Hub at Mayo Clinic, is leading research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an AI model that combines medical imaging and clinical data to help clinicians assess pancreatic risk and explore opportunities for earlier detection. Dr. Banerjee can describe and demonstrate how AI is being used to identify patterns that could help determine who is at increased risk for pancreatic cancer.
Tanios Bekaii-Saab, M.D. | A new treatment and a changing pancreatic cancer landscape
Tanios Bekaii-Saab, M.D., a medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, can discuss daraxonrasib, a targeted therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration in August for certain patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Dr. Bekaii-Saab can explain what the approval means for eligible patients, how targeted therapies differ from traditional approaches and the broader advances that are changing pancreatic cancer treatment.
Zhi Ven Fong, M.D., Dr.PH. | Advancing pancreatic cancer surgery with robotics
Zhi Ven Fong, M.D., Dr.PH., a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, leads the site’s robotic pancreatic surgery program and performed the first robotic-assisted Whipple procedure at Mayo Clinic in Arizona in 2023. Since then, the program has doubled. Dr. Fong can explain how robotic technology is being used to perform complex pancreatic cancer operations, which patients may be candidates for a robotic approach and what advances in surgical technology can mean for patients.–
