Speakers
Dr Victoria Metaxa
Hall 8
The use of immunotherapies is rapidly expanding across multiple disease areas, increasingly bringing complex immunomodulating treatments into the intensive care setting.
The session will provide an introduction to immunotherapies, outlining key mechanisms of action and current clinical indications relevant to ICU patients. This will be followed by a discussion of common challenges for the intensivist, including recognition and management of immune-related toxicities, diagnostic uncertainty, and coordination with specialty teams.
Based on a real-world, critical care scenario diagnostic and management dilemmas will be highlighted. The session will conclude with an interactive audience discussion to explore practical approaches and shared learning.
Anna Olsson-Brown is a Professor of Clinical Cancer Trials and a Consultant in Medical Oncology. She specialises in the systemic treatment of skin cancers; immunotherapeutic toxicities, early phase/translational clinical trials and NSS/CUP/acute oncology. She is an academic consultant at University College Cork/Cork University Hospital and has roles in the UK as an honorary academic at the University of Liverpool, a consultant in Onco/Immunotoxicity and has held clinical leadership roles within the Cancer Alliance network.
She has a background in clinical pharmacology and an interest in acute oncology and supportive care for cancer patients particularly with regards to toxicity of cancer therapies. She was an MRC research fellow completing her PhD investigating the mechanisms of immunotherapy toxicity and has subsequently published extensively in the area (Olsson-Brown – Search Results – PubMed (nih.gov)).
She has established and led numerous acute and supportive oncology services including pan-tumour, pan-regional immunotherapy/oncotoxicity service supporting inpatients and outpatients with immunotherapy toxicities and providing a clinical-research interface supporting a number of translational trials at both the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool and Sussex Cancer Centre, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. She sits on number of advisory panels including the Cardio-oncology MDT at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Neuro-oncology toxicity and HLH MDTs at University College London Hospital. She has established both an enhanced supportive care service and an oncofraility service at UHSx. She spent 4 years as an Clinical Director in healthcare prior to taking up her academic position.
She is the current Chair of the UK Society of Medical Oncology (formerly the Association of Cancer Physicians ACP). She is a founding member and current CEO of the National Immunotherapy Clinical Network (IOCN). She is also the Toxicity Workstream Co-lead within the UK Acute Oncology Society and a trustee and board member of UKASCC. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the current Oncology representative of the Symposium Committee at RCPE. She sits on the UK SACT board and RCP Oncology Committees in her representative roles.