Working to Better Understand the Genetics of Endocrine Tumors—Dr. Lawrence Kirschner—Clinical Endocrinologist and Scientist

Dr. Lawrence Kirschner has over 20 years' worth of experience as a physician-scientist and clinical endocrinologist, which has allowed him to see directly how research impacts patients on an individual level. On today's podcast, he shares the details of his work. Tune in to learn the following:

• What types of adrenal tumors and diseases exist and how they manifest in patients
• Why an understanding of the genetics of endocrine tumors is important in order to understand how cancers develop and/or how tumors produce excess hormones
• Why it's been difficult to conduct clinical trials involving adrenal cancers, and what's been happening on a national scale in recent years to address this

Dr. Kirschner's sub-specialty is on diseases of the pituitary gland, with particular emphasis on the adrenal glands. Only about one in one million people will eventually develop malignant adrenal tumors, but it's an aggressive and difficult-to-treat type of cancer. In part, the absence of a good treatment approach for adrenal cancer is due to the fact that it's so rare, because this makes it difficult to conduct clinical trials. In recent years, however, a national collaborative effort to address this has been set in motion, which Dr. Kirschner sees as very promising for those who currently suffer from adrenal cancer or those who will in the future.

He discusses the details of his research, which aims to develop a better understanding of the genetics of endocrine tumors in order to determine how these genes function, and what particularly allows them to cause cell proliferation and/or the excess production of hormones. He talks about the many types of tumors and disease that can affect the adrenals, and the ways in which they can wreak havoc on the body. He dives into the science behind what his research has already discovered and where it's headed in the near future. Tune in for all the details. For general information about ongoing clinical trials, visit clinicaltrials.gov.