ASCO Commentary in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology Reflects on the Legacy of Arti Hurria, MD, FASCO

A new ASCO paper in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology¹ fondly reflects on the impact of Arti Hurria, MD, FASCO, in improving the treatment of older adults with cancer. The article is part of a special issue honoring her work in this area.

Arti Hurria, MD, FASCO

Dr. Hurria was killed in a traffic accident on November 7, 2018. In addition to being a geriatric oncology leader and a member of ASCO’s Board of Directors, she was the George Tsai Family Chair in Geriatric Oncology, Director of the Center on Cancer and Aging, Co-Lead of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program, Vice Provost of clinical faculty, Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, and a medical oncologist at City of Hope.

The article, developed by ASCO’s Center for Research and Analytics (CENTRA), highlights Dr. Hurria’s ability to collaborate and inspire others through three efforts:

• Building on the 2013 Institute of Medicine report on delivering high-quality cancer care
• Collaborating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Prompting ASCO volunteers and committees to undertake projects in geriatric oncology.

The authors wrote, “Dr. Hurria’s remarkable contributions to the field of geriatric oncology are evident by her personal accomplishments and the enduring legacy of the people she inspired to action. She used her passion and vision to identify every opportunity for progress in creating a national dialogue around the need to improve the evidence base for treating older adults with cancer. She also had an unparalleled ability to support and encourage others. She will be deeply missed.”

The special issue of the Journal of Geriatric Oncology will be published in early 2020, and the article is available now online. ■

© 2019. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.

REFERENCE

1. Levit LA, Singh H, Klepin HD: Cancer and aging activities at the American Society of Clinical Oncology and beyond: Reflections on the legacy of Dr. Arti Hurria. J Geriatr Oncol. July 15, 2019 (early release online).