PROFILES IN RESEARCH EXCELLENCE 3; Dr. Melissa Thrall

Linda's First Quilt

Now in Alaska, I think

Melisas Thrall earned a Rivkin Center Scientific Scholar award in 2010.  She has been with the University of Washington Medical School since 2009 as a Fellow of the Department of Gynocolgical Oncology ; previously she seems to have practiced in Page, Arizona.  Dr. Thrall has published three important papers involving ovarian cancer since her award date, and they have been fairly heavily cited – indicating that her research has important implications.  I count eleven research papers  published under her name since she obtained her M.D. degree, in 2001. 

The research supported by the Rivkin Center was presented under the title “A population based evaluation of the use and outcome of neoadjuvant chemotherapy”.    Don’t hang up now!  I will explain.  “Adjuvant” is merely medico-speak for “helping”, and neoadjuvant therapy is therapy administered before the main event; for instance, chemo before a debulking (cancer-removing) operation.  Dr. Thrall’s citation states that “the current standard of care for advanced stage ovarian cancer involves surgery with a maximal effort to remove all visible tumor, followed by the administration of platinum based chemotherapy”.  This describes Linda’s treatment exactly, insofar as I understand it.  However, it seems to be the case that not all women are treated according to this precise formula.  Dr. Thrall intends to evaluate outcomes, using a “large population-based sample of patients treated in the last ten years”.  Between the Hutch and the MRC, such records are available – attesting to the great and growing importance of data-bases and the people who understand them.

I am impressed by Dr. Thrall’s record and evident abilities, and I am encouraged to find people like her fighting the disease that took my wife.  I do admit to being a little confused, however.  The title of her proposal implies that she will study the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy – that is, chemo before surgery.  Do they do that?  Under what circumstances do they do it?  I’m curious, although I probably wouldn’t understand the explanation!

Yeah, I know – this was boring, even if important.  Enjoy the picture.