In this episode of MedInsights Unleashed, Hannah Timm, PhD Candidate at the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine in Essen, Germany, who specializes in computational pathology, discusses using AI to quantify blood vessel branching patterns in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Histopathology slides contain complex information not always captured by TNM staging, and Hannah’s team used AI to identify high- and low-branching vascular patterns. They found a continuous relationship between vessel branching and patient outcomes, with a greater proportion of high-branching patterns associated with better disease-free and overall survival.

Hannah also discusses how AI can augment—not replace—pathologists by helping quantify complex tissue patterns and potentially reveal additional biological information. The conversation explores the use of pathology slides from the CheckMate 914 trial, how AI could support future biomarker research, and the need for prospective validation before approaches such as this can move toward clinical practice.

In this episode of MedInsights Unleashed, Dr. Richard S. Finn, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, joins John Collins to explain the ABCs of liver cancer—from who is at risk and why screening and early detection matter to diagnosis and treatment. Because hepatocellular carcinoma frequently develops in people with underlying liver disease, treating liver cancer often means considering both the tumor and the health of the liver.

Using his memorable “bad soil and weeds” analogy, Dr. Finn explains why removing a liver tumor may not eliminate the underlying risk of another cancer developing. He discusses multidisciplinary care, surgery and liver transplantation, locoregional treatments, immunotherapy and targeted therapies, while emphasizing the importance of patient advocacy, appropriate screening and access to experienced liver cancer centers.

In this episode of MedInsights Unleashed, Dr. Ari Rosenberg, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center, returns to discuss a rapidly changing era in head and neck cancer. He examines the practice-changing KEYNOTE-689 data establishing a role for perioperative immunotherapy in selected surgically treated patients, while explaining the important differences between HPV-associated and HPV-unrelated disease.

Ari also explores emerging approaches to treatment de-escalation in HPV-positive disease, the growing potential of ctDNA and minimal residual disease to identify recurrence risk, and promising therapies for recurrent and metastatic disease, including bispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and new combinations. His message is one of genuine progress, but also the continued need for clinical trials, collaboration and better outcomes for patients.