Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, senior member of Moffitt’s Senior Adult Oncology Program, has been honored with the Geriatric Oncology Lifetime Achievement Award, originally known as the “Preis geriatrische Onkologie für das Lebenswerk 2015,” at this year’s German, Austrian, and Swiss Congress of the Societies for Hematology and Oncology. She was recognized at a ceremony held October 10, during the conference, which took place October 9–13 in Basel, Switzerland.
“Receiving this award is quite an honor,” said Dr. Extermann. “I am grateful that I can contribute to such an important [field] that has global attention and support.”
In July, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, awarded a $1.25 million ovarian cancer research grant to Dr. Extermann. The grant will support research focused on how to personalize care for aging women with ovarian cancer.
Other Awards and Achievements
Dr. Extermann has received numerous awards for her work in geriatric oncology including the ASCO B.J. Kennedy Award for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology in 2009 and the Paul Calabresi Award in 2014 presented by the International Society of Geriatric Oncology. She has also served as President of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology, of which she is a founding board member.
Along with receiving this Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Extermann also was among the 35 experts who presented at the Congress. She discussed the “Development of Geriatric Oncology in the USA” on October 11.
Dr. Extermann’s main interests are to understand how the health of older patients affects their cancer’s behavior, which can be used to guide treatment choices. Among her many accomplishments, she has established an index to assess an individual’s risk of severe toxicity from chemotherapy: the Chemotherapy Risk Assessment Scale for High-age patients, or CRASH, score.
Dr. Extermann received her MD and PhD degrees in Geneva, Switzerland, and later came to the University of South Florida College of Medicine for a fellowship in medical oncology/senior adult oncology. She has been at Moffitt since 1997. ■
