The Makings of an Unparalleled Interventional Oncology Team: An Interview With Ricardo Lencioni, MD

Ricardo Lencioni, MD, is professor of clinical radiology and director of interventional oncology and research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He recently made the transition to the University of Miami from the University of Pisa in Italy, where he was professor and director of diagnostic imaging and intervention. He spoke with Interventional Oncology 360 about joining the interventional oncology team in Miami.

IO360: Tell us about your background in interventional oncology.

Lencioni: I have been in the loop of intervention oncology since day 1. I’ve been chairman of the European Conference of Interventional Oncology for 6 years. Then I became the chairman of the World Conference of Interventional Oncology and I have really been exposed to a variety of practice patterns and how interventional oncology is delivered around the world. The group that Dr. Raj Narayanan has assembled is amazing. It’s truly one of the best examples of how an interventional radiology team should work in the context of a complex tertiary referral academic institution.  

IO360: What excited you most about the University of Miami?

Lencioni: What I think I was most impressed with here in Miami is how the multidisciplinary concept of IO is truly a reality. Now that I’ve been in Miami for several months, I have had the opportunity to participate in the tumor boards. I see with my own eyes how referring clinicians, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and radiation oncologists truly look for advice from interventional radiologists. They communicate to craft a personalized treatment plan for each individual patient. 

IO360: What are your specific research and practice interests?

Lencioni: My area of research until now has been expanding from ablation to transcatheter therapies, with a focus on the clinical investigation into synergies between interventional locoregional therapies and novel molecular targeted, systemically active drugs. I was the principal investigator for two of the largest global randomized controlled trials that were completed in this area and I look forward to continuing this research and expanding these clinical research opportunities here at the University of Miami. 

IO360: What do you look forward to most about research at the University of Miami?

Lencioni: The IO research team here is excellent. It includes research assistants, statisticians, and engineers, but what I find to be truly unique in my experience is a whole team focused on IO for basic research. This team has access to a fully equipped experimental facility with any technology you need to work toward advancing the field and especially understand the value of novel devices, techniques, and refinements. The spectrum of research is truly very broad, spanning from experimental investigation down to clinical trials and phase 3 trials potentially able to change the standard of care.

IO360: What therapies have been popular in Europe that you might think might become more popular IO therapies in the United States in the future?

Lencioni: There are differences in the way patients are managed around the globe. What is available in Europe is available in the United States and vice versa, but clearly there are differences in the way patients are diagnosed, the way patients are managed. I think at this point in time, particularly for interventional oncology, what is truly critical is how interventional oncology practice has been built and integrated into the cancer care in each institution. The level of acceptance, integration, and multidisciplinarity that I’ve seen here at the University of Miami is amazing, but I’m not sure this is truly something that I can say is associated with geographical region. I think it’s years of hard work that has built this team, as was the case for me in Italy. We started with some patients who had no hope and no chance of cure. These were typically patients who were referred for some sort of interventional therapy in the early days. Eventually, we showed the value of what we do both in clinical trials and research.

We must produce the same level of evidence as all other areas of oncology. This will help us to gain acceptance and will show that we can contribute to the multidisciplinary management of the disease. New generations of oncologists and surgical oncologists understand the importance of multidisciplinary care for cancer patients. Medicine is changing, and the idea that what one clinician can do is good for all comers is gone. Many times, patients receive different forms of therapies, either concurrent therapies or sequential therapies. The key is the treatment plan. To develop an effective treatment plan, all the experts in different areas must discuss and understand the specific disease, and then eventually create a plan for each individual patient.   

Suggested citation: Ford J. The makings of an unparalleled interventional oncology team: an interview with Ricardo Lencioni, MD. Intervent Oncol 360. 2016;4(1):E16-E17.