For Dr. Millie Das, the moment when a targeted therapy transforms a patient's prognosis is deeply meaningful. "We now have many different FDA-approved targeted therapies for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, and many of these targeted therapies are associated with very high response rates and can really help to make patients feel better," she reflected, capturing the essence of what has made lung cancer the paradigm for precision oncology.

As a thoracic medical oncologist who splits her time between Stanford Cancer Center and the [Palo Alto VA Hospital, where she serves as Chief of Oncology, Dr. Das has positioned herself at the forefront of precision medicine's most promising frontier. Her unique dual-institution role has provided her with both the cutting-edge research environment of Stanford and the mission-driven focus on veteran care that defines her work at the VA.

Dr. Das specializes in thoracic malignancies, with a particular focus on small cell lung cancer, a disease that affects only about 15% of lung cancer patients but presents some of the field's greatest challenges. "Small cell lung cancer traditionally is known as a very aggressive disease with limited treatment options, and so that was part of the reason why I chose to go into it," she explained. Her decision to focus on this aggressive cancer type reflects a broader commitment to addressing unmet medical needs, particularly among the veteran population, where smoking-related cancers are prevalent.

Her research interests center on clinical trials and expanding access to innovative treatments. "I have spent my career really working to open clinical trials, primarily at the VA and allowing access to clinical trials for the veteran population," Dr. Das noted.

She brings this expertise in precision medicine to the 5th Binaytara Precision Oncology Summit, where she will chair the session on "Pathway-Based Targeted Therapies in Oncology." The two-day, CME-accredited national conference, themed "Redefining Cancer Treatment with Molecular Targeted Strategies," brings together leading experts to explore cutting-edge developments in precision oncology. "This session will be to discuss cases in different cancer types and to really highlight the importance of next-generation sequencing and the potential for offering targeted therapies," Dr. Das explained about her role in the summit.

Her involvement with Binaytara reflects a broader commitment to medical education and community engagement that extends to her role as President of the Association of Northern California Oncologists (ANCO). Through ANCO, she has worked to "bring together community and academic oncologists" and ensure that community partners "have a voice and that they have a seat at the table." Her initiatives include expanding board representation, introducing fellowship symposiums, and breaking down barriers to conference attendance through free registration and tailored programming.

At Stanford, Dr. Das serves as co-investigator on lung cancer trials, including those that focus on addressing treatment resistance to targeted therapies and those that have brain metastases, two critical challenges in precision oncology. "Living in the Bay Area, the majority of our lung cancer patients that we see at Stanford are those who have driver alterations," she noted. Given the high incidence of patients with EGFR and other genomic alterations, Stanford's research efforts concentrate on developing strategies for patients who develop resistance to targeted therapies and novel approaches for treating brain metastases, including leptomeningeal disease.

The rapid pace of advancement in precision oncology presents both opportunities and challenges for practicing oncologists. Dr. Das stays current through constant engagement with professional meetings and conferences like the Binaytara summit. "Just in the past month, we had an FDA accelerated approval for a drug, which is an oral EGFR exon 20 targeted drug," she noted, illustrating how quickly the field evolves. "These conferences help to bring experts together to talk about these approvals and to talk about how we're going to incorporate them into clinical practice."

"The goal is optimizing outcomes for our patients, including quality of life and survival," she emphasized, reflecting a philosophy that drives both her research endeavors and her commitment to expanding access to precision oncology across diverse healthcare settings.