Brazilian researcher wins world’s largest oncology award جائزة

His research aims to address the emotional aspects of cancer patients (Photo: ResearchGate/Reproduction)

A Brazilian researcher has become an international highlight by winning the Oscar for Global Oncology. Psycho-oncologist Christian Bergerot, 39, of the Brasilia Cancer Center (Citro), has been awarded with the award Global Young Investigator Awards in Oncology 2021Offered by the Conquering Cancer Foundation. The award was awarded at one of the world’s largest conferences on oncology, the 2021 Asco Annual Meeting, which took place earlier this month, between the fourth and eighth.

From 2018 to 2021, 23 researchers received the award, of which only two were Brazilians. In addition to Christian, Pedro Isaacson, of the São Paulo State Cancer Institute, in 2019 received a survey of prostate cancer. Christian notes that the competition is great and that it was her first time applying for the award. “I was not alone. I have the support of the co-principal investigator (Paulo Bergerot) and my mentor, Physicians William Del (City of Hope, USA), Enrique Soto (National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zuberan, Mexico) and Joao Nunes (Citro)”, repeats the doctor , in the form of thanks.

Christian, a psycho-oncologist, aims to deal with the emotional aspects of cancer patients in order to reduce their suffering during the disease process. The work presented by the physician was an analysis of a program of geriatric assessment, through a telemedicine system, in elderly patients who had started chemotherapy for cancer.

As a prize at the 2021 Asco Annual Meeting, the psychiatrist won $50,000, an amount that will sponsor the study for about a year. We have received the grant now. We obtained clearance from the ethics committee to conduct the study last week. We’ve started collecting data,” Christian commented.

According to Christian studies, the number of people aged 65 and over worldwide will grow from 703 million in 2019 to 1.5 billion in 2050. This population represents a major global challenge in cancer care (more than 60% of adults with cancer are Seniors (60 years and over).

studying

The doctor stresses that there are many studies that prove the usefulness of tumor evaluation in cancer treatment. Christian’s award-winning study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a telehealth-based oncology assessment program, which follows Asco’s suggested guidelines, in cancer patients, aged 65 years and over, to start chemotherapy. A treatment plan will be suggested and discussed with the assistant physician and the patient. Three months after starting treatment, we will re-evaluate these patients,” explains the winner. The study will be conducted on 61 patients.

Professor Edvan Perillo Lopez, 53, has supervised Christian in postdoctoral studies in Unifesp’s Postgraduate Health Sciences Program and has also worked alongside patient and family care and in oncology residency education.

“Dr Christian Decath Bergerott has followed an amazing path as a researcher in the field of oncology, and she has truly deserved to have the award. Global Young Investigator Awards in Oncology 2021, in Asco. I was honored to see the research done by the doctor. It has important implications for good care practices in oncology in Brazil, as shown in the study with older adults undergoing anti-cancer therapy. We hope you will continue to innovate and provide feedback on scientific evidence in oncology, and contribute to excellence in care and international visibility in our country, comments Professor.

Cettro’s Oncology Service Coordinator, Murillo Bosso, 52, says he met Christian when she was still a care psychology intern, “Dr. Christian started working with us as an intern, and there we really noticed someone with a very personal profile.. He focused on goals and results, And he was a very flexible and very dedicated person,” Bosu reports.

Other prizes

The Brazilian returned from Los Angeles (USA) in May 2020 to take up psychotherapy and join the Cettro team. Since then, the doctor has emerged in the area. “This is the second international scholarship I have received, in less than a year, since my return to Brazil,” he stated.

Earlier this year, the doctor received an award for a survey evaluating the use of an app based on mindfulness intervention for patients with metastatic kidney cancer in Brazil. The grant amount was $125,000 from Kure It Cancer Research. For Christian, there is plenty of evidence that online intervention reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improves treatment side effects and symptoms of illness, such as pain and fatigue for example.