Cancer treatment is evolving from the approaches that were standardized decades ago, as doctors and researchers recognize that traditional treatments are not one size fits all. The need for more personalized, targeted cancer treatments is essential, which is why several of this year’s VeloSano Pilot Grant recipients are focused on developing new ways to treat several types of cancer tailored to individual patients and their unique cancers.
One of those researchers is Roberto Vargas, MD. As a trained gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Vargas has extensive experience in the surgical and medical treatment of gynecologic cancers. The current approach to treating cancer is reactive; “We give them a treatment and then wait to see what the outcome will be. When we start our treatment, we are blind to what that outcome is going to be, and most patients end up receiving the same treatment but with different outcomes,” he notes. Dr. Vargas says he finds it frustrating to see cervical cancer patients receiving the same therapies that have been in use for 20+ years. “With all the new therapy advances and technologies like AI and machine learning, not leveraging those to improve their outcomes is unacceptable to me,” he says. “That’s what drives me to ask questions and try to answer them in the lab.”
With the help of a VeloSano Pilot Grant, Dr. Vargas is turning his frustration into hope, using research to better understand tumor evolution through treatment. “Our hope is that by understanding how the tumors are changing, they can give us specific markers to signal that they are adapting, changing or that they’re not able to adapt and our therapies are working,” he says. “By tracking a tumor and its response in real-time, we aim to be proactive and predictive with our treatments instead of reacting after a negative outcome.”
Understanding tumor evolution is crucial for advancing personalized cancer therapy. “Our personalized cancer therapies to date are based on one time point, and that piece of information could be years old,” Dr. Vargas says. “During all that time and all those treatments, the cancer will have changed, so understanding how cancers evolve to escape our treatments will allow us to develop better strategies to avoid that.”
Dr. Vargas credits the unique strengths of Cleveland Clinic, both as a clinical entity and as a research institute, for making it possible to quickly move the needle to better treatments. “Cleveland Clinic excels at both,” he says. “I can take great care of my patients in the operating room and in the clinic, but I can also do great science alongside that care.” He says the goal of his study is to develop a broader treatment application beyond cervical cancer. “What we learn about these tumors may also allow us to develop techniques and technologies for other understudied and underfunded disease sites, like endometrial cancer,” he says.
And Dr. Vargas is not only conducting cancer research but also putting the pedal to the metal. Alongside his family, he has participated in the annual VeloSano Bike to Cure fundraiser ride for several years, generating support for cancer research and highlighting his personal commitment
to the mission. “The ride and the participation highlight how much we care about this mission,” Dr. Vargas says. “It’s my way of honoring patients and their journeys through cancer care; this is more than just a fundraiser; we really believe in this, and we have their back.”