The pioneering advances in oncology treatment completed at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System and Miller School of Medicine, are offering hope for cancer patients who don’t respond to conventional therapies, have few to no treatment options, or whose recovery is otherwise set back by largely preventable issues.

One way Sylvester is doing that is by using technology to offer a scalable, unobtrusive method to surveil patients. In a new study, Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, director of lifestyle medicine, prevention and digital health at Sylvester, explored the use of digital tools to help monitor patients and catch complications post-surgery. A randomized trial found remote monitoring via wristband accelerometers improved functional recovery and symptom management, and prevented major complications, in patients who underwent abdominal or pelvic surgeries for gastrointestinal, genitourinary or gynecologic cancers. This research offers a glimpse into the future of surgical oncology, where digital tools and human intervention converge to support patients during and after treatment.

Sylvester is also at the forefront of studying how drugs approved for the treatment of one cancer type may be effective for another. Aman Chauhan, M.D., leader of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Sylvester, and Abdulrahman Sinno, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist, are testing whether the immunotherapy drug known as DLL3 BiTE (bispecific T-cell engager)—which is FDA-approved for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer—proves successful in the treatment of gynecologic high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). This rare yet aggressive cancer has limited treatment options, but because Sylvester is one of the few academic medical centers with expertise in managing NEC, it is able to recruit patients who don’t respond to conventional therapies into this trial for another chance at survival.

Additionally, Dr. Chauhan and Dr. Sinno are testing a novel immunotherapy combination for patients with gynecologic NEC cancers in an investigator-initiated phase 1 clinical trial. The treatment begins with conventional immunotherapy drugs and is followed by the introduction of an oncolytic virus injected directly into the tumor, where it grows, divides and eventually kills cancer cells while invoking a positive immune response. Preclinical data at Sylvester, the only site in the U.S. with access to this combination therapy, suggests this method could help patients remain cancer-free for much longer.

For some cancers, such as osteosarcoma, the greatest challenge is the lack of tailored treatment options. Emanuela Palmerini, M.D., Ph.D., a sarcoma researcher at Sylvester, is looking into molecular signatures linked to better responses to mifamurtide—a drug approved for osteosarcoma only in Europe—with the hopes of one day tailoring treatment to each patient’s biology. Dr. Palmerini helped identify two important genetic signatures in the tumor’s immune environment. The first, a 21-gene signature, is linked to lower risks; patients with this genetic marker had a five-year overall survival of 92%, compared to high-risk patients with a five-year survival of 47%. The second, a 31-gene signature, indicates that patients are most likely to benefit from mifamurtide. As this research continues, doctors will gain a better understanding of who would improve with mifamurtide, sparing those who won’t from months of side effects.

Sylvester’s efforts in advancing a variety of oncology treatments will help cancer patients in South Florida and beyond live longer, higher-quality lives, turning once-fatal diseases into manageable, chronic conditions.