On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research
Welcome to On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, your gateway to the latest in cancer care innovation. Hosted by Dr. Monty Pal, a medical oncologist and researcher at City of Hope, we’ll bring you inside one of the top 5 cancer research and treatment institutions in the U.S., where innovation and hope go hand-in-hand. Join Dr. Pal as he sits down with some of the world’s leading cancer experts as they explore some of the most pressing challenges and promising innovations in oncology today. Whether you're a seasoned healthcare professional, a curious researcher, or simply someone passionate about the fight against cancer, this podcast is your front row seat to hear about the discoveries defining the future of cancer care.
Episodes
Live from ASCO 2026: Insights on the Latest in Multiple Myeloma, Prostate and Lung Cancer Research
Alan Bryce, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer, City of Hope Cancer Center Phoenix, discusses promising prostate cancer research that may help doctors treat some patients earlier and more effectively. He explains how a new combination approach around the time of surgery could help keep cancer from spreading and open the door to more treatment options.
Kristin Higgins, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer, City
What it Takes to Close the Gap in Pediatric Cancer Care with Leo Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
While many childhood leukemias are now highly curable, Dr. Wang explains children with certain aggressive brain tumors still face the same outcomes they did a decade ago. This lag in progress is what drives his work today investigating CAR T‑cell therapy gene therapy in early phase clinical trials.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Wang returns to the idea that progress in pediatric cancer care dep
Reengineering CAR T for Solid Tumors: What Glioblastoma Has Taught Us with Christine Brown, Ph.D.
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Christine Brown, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the T‑Cell Research Laboratory at City of Hope, joins Monty Pal, M.D., F.A.S.C.O., to discuss how years of research in glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and difficult brain cancers, are helping scientists rethink how CAR T‑cell therapy could effectively treat solid tumors.
The Long Game of Cancer Genomics: John Carpten, Ph.D., on Building Precision Oncology that Reaches Patients
Dr. Carpten traces the less-linear path that brought him to the forefront of the field, from his early interests in biology and sports to a pivotal moment in college, when a red-covered Life magazine helped crystallize his career trajectory toward genomics.
This curiosity led Carpten to his work on the Human Genome Project, where he significantly contributed to mapping the human genome years befor
How Engineered Antibodies and Next Generation Imaging Tools are Reshaping Cancer Care with Anna Wu, Ph.D.
Dr. Wu shares insights on her team’s development of engineered antibodies and fast‑clearing mini‑body fragments. These fragments can initially be used for PET imaging and then later paired with therapeutic radioisotopes to precisely target tumors, which help clinicians see where the treatment is going and how well it may work.
She also talks about two exciting initiatives at City of Hope: CEA‑dir
Unlocking the Future of Cancer Care: Precision Medicine, AI and the Patient Voice with Dr. Stacy Gray
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Stacy Gray, M.D., A.M., Director of Clinical and Scientific Strategy and Vice President of System Strategy at City of Hope, joins Monty Pal, M.D., F.A.S.C.O. in an engaging discussion of how precision medicine and AI are transforming cancer care and why listening to patients is the key to it all.
Dr. Gray highlights City o
How Team Science Fuels Cancer Breakthroughs: A Conversation with Dr. Marcel van den Brink
In the season 4 premiere of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Monty Pal, M.D., F.A.S.C.O., welcomes Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D., President of City of Hope Los Angeles and City of Hope National Medical Center, Chief Physician Executive and the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician Executive Distinguished Chair.From mentorship and team science to the intersection of clinical
How Mentorship Sparks Innovation: A Conversation with Dr. Wesley Yip
In the season 3 finale episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal welcomes Wesley Yip, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Urology and Urologic Oncology, Department of Surgery at City of Hope.The duo explores Dr. Yip’s career journey sparked by an early inspiration in his father’s urology practice to the cutting-edge urological oncology and microbiome resea
Bonus: The Future of Cancer Surgery: Innovations, AI and Remote Robotics
This is an audience favorite episode. Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Yuman Fong, M.D., an internationally renowned surgical oncologist and Chair of Surgery at City of Hope, to explore the leading-edge innovations shaping the future of surgical oncology.Dr. Fong shares his incredible journey from studying medieval literature to being one of the first-ever surgeons to conduct surgery in space. They di
The Quest to Cure: Exploring the Latest Frontiers in Autoimmune Disease Treatment
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal welcomes Dr. Enrique Montero, research professor within the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, to discuss his global journey in immunology and the pioneering work underway at City of Hope. Dr. Montero shares how early clinical experiences with lupus inspired his lifelong mission to bridge b
Translating Discovery: Shaping Tomorrow’s Prostate Cancer Therapies
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal welcomes Dr. Tanya Dorff, professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research and section chief of the Genitourinary Disease Program at City of Hope.
Together they dive into Dorff’s pioneering work in immunotherapy for prostate cancer - from the challenges of moving treatments from benc
Asking the Impossible: How Bold Questions are Unlocking Diabetes Biggest Breakthroughs
From a small Sicilian town to the forefront of diabetes research, Dr. Pugliese’s story is one of relentless curiosity and hope. He shares how early family experiences and clinical frustrations inspired his lifelong mission to improve outcomes type 1 diabetes.The conversation delves into the role of viruses and the microbiome in triggering type 1 diabetes. Dr. Pugliese describes his leadership in t
Movement as Medicine: The Science Reshaping Oncology
In this episode of "On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research," host Dr. Monty Pal welcomes Dr. Lee Jones, Head of the Exercise Oncology Program in the Department of Medicine at City of Hope, to discuss how exercise science is helping reshape cancer treatment and care. Dr. Jones shares his journey from the UK to City of Hope, highlighting the challenges and breakthroughs in establishi
How Team Science is Driving Lung Cancer Breakthroughs
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Dr. Loretta Erhunmwunsee, a thoracic surgeon and lung cancer researcher at City of Hope,.From her roots in underserved communities to today, where she is at the forefront of lung cancer research, Dr. Erhunmwunsee brings a unique perspective to understanding how environments and where we live can
Expanding the Reach of TIL Therapy: What Will it Take?
What does it take to bring tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy to more patients and make the therapy more effective for those already eligible?In this episode of Edge of Breakthrough, Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Dr. Kelly Mahuron, a surgical oncologist at City of Hope, to unpack how TIL therapy is evolving. From identifying eligible patients and surgical harvesting of TILs to cell expansi
Rewriting the Rules of Cellular Therapy
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough, Dr. Monty Pal is joined by Dr. Stephen Forman, a giant of cancer care and hematologic malignancies and pioneer of cellular immunotherapy. Dr. Forman reflects on decades of progress in bone marrow transplantation, CAR T cell therapy, and the future of cellular therapies. But this conversation isn’t just about lab science. It’s about the human side of
At the Crossroads of Cancer and Metabolism
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough, host Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Dr. Charles Brenner, an internationally recognized expert in metabolism and the founding Chair of the Department of Diabetes & Cancer Metabolism at City of Hope. Together, they explore the metabolic links between diabetes, obesity, and cancer, and how understanding those connections could lead to new ways to prevent
Three Leaders, One Vision: Principles for Transforming Cancer Care Delivery
In this special episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough, recorded live at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, host Dr. Monty Pal sits down with two of City of Hope’s newest clinical leaders: Dr. Walter Stadler, Chief Clinical Officer at City of Hope Chicago, and Dr. Alan Bryce, Chief Clinical Officer at Hope Phoenix.Together, they explore what it takes to build a national model for research-driven care,
How a Bold Yes Became a Scientific Breakthrough
Welcome back to Season 2 On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research. In this powerful episode, Dr. Monty Pal welcomes Dr. Linda Malkas, Dean of Translational Sciences at City of Hope, for a conversation that spans childhood stargazing in Queens to leading one of the most ambitious cancer drug developments in recent history.Dr. Malkas shares how a chance encounter with a grieving fathe
Building the First AI Agent for Cancer Research
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Dr. Enrique Velazquez Villarreal, a physician-scientist in City of Hope’s Department of Integrative Translational Sciences, whose path into medicine and research is anything but typical.Dr. Velazquez Villarreal talks about growing up in Mexico, entering medical school at 17, and the many mentors
Humanizing Cancer Treatment Through Whole-Person Care
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Dr. Betty Ferrell, trailblazing nurse-scientist and director of the Division of Nursing Research and Education at City of Hope. Known globally for her foundational work in quality of life, pain management, and palliative care, Dr. Ferrell reflects on her nearly four decades of research, mentorsh
Pushing the Limits of Cancer Research and Surgery
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal talks with Mustafa Raoof, a leading surgical oncologist and physician-scientist at City of Hope, about the challenges and potential in treating some of the toughest cancers.Dr. Raoof reflects on his path - from boarding school in Pakistan to pioneering new techniques in peritoneal metastasis treatment at a wor
Breaking Barriers in Cancer Care: Expanding Access, Innovation & Integrative Medicine
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal speaks with Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., the physician-in-chief of City of Hope Orange County and Vice Physician-in-Chief of City of Hope National Medical Center. Dr. Kim shares his experience leading the transformation of leading U.S. cancer centers, and how City of Hope is using integrative oncology to resh
The Future of Cancer Surgery: Innovations, AI, and Remote Robotics
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal sits down with Dr. Yuman Fong, an internationally renowned surgical oncologist and Chair of Surgery at City of Hope, to explore the leading-edge innovations shaping the future of surgical oncology.Dr. Fong shares his incredible journey from studying medieval literature to being one of the first-ever surgeons t
Advancing Cancer Survivorship and Cardio-Oncology
In this episode of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Dr. Monty Pal is joined by Dr. Saro Armenian, Chair of Pediatric Oncology at City of Hope, to discuss the latest innovative research driving advancements in cancer survivorship and cardio-oncology.Dr. Armenian shares his compelling journey into oncology, the challenges of addressing long-term treatment effects on patients,
Exploring the Future of Cancer Care
Welcome to On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, your gateway to the latest in cancer care innovation. Hosted by Dr. Monty Pal, a medical oncologist and researcher at City of Hope, we’ll bring you inside one of the top 5 cancer research and treatment institutions in the U.S., where innovation and hope go hand-in-hand.Join Dr. Pal as he sits down with some of the world’s leading c
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