Dr Hagop Kantarjian Honoured with an ASCO 2023 Award for Leukaemia Research

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) selected Dr Hagop Kantarjian for its 2023 David A. Karnofsky Award for major clinical and experimental research in leukaemia.

Dr Kantarjian said, “This award is the society’s highest scientific honour, and receiving it makes me extremely happy and honoured.”

The David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award has been presented annually since 1970 to honour oncologists making outstanding contributions to cancer research, diagnosis or treatment.

At the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Kantarjian chairs the Department of Leukemia and holds the Samsung Distinguished University Chair in Cancer Medicine.

“This is certainly not an individual award. It represents 40 years of achievement by the entire MD Anderson leukaemia team—a true collective effort resulting in many discoveries and improvements in treatment and care,” he said.

Kantarjian earned his medical degree in 1979 at the American University in Lebanon and completed internal medicine training there in 1981.

Time at MD Anderson as a young medical student and later as a research fellow nurtured his interest and career in leukaemia.

“In 1978, I took a 4-month elective at MD Anderson and immediately saw how different and innovative the atmosphere was compared with where I trained in Lebanon,” Kantarjian said.

Working at MD Anderson with mentors such as Dr Emil Freireich, Dr Kenneth McCredie and Dr Michael Keating shaped his career and guided his leukaemia research.

Over the past 40 years, his team contributed substantially to improved survival in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL). He pioneered tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in CML.

“Forty years ago, most leukaemias were incurable. Today, most can potentially be treated with targeted therapies. That is what I am proudest of,” Kantarjian says.

His contributions to leukaemia include:

• Developing HYPER-CVAD (hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vinchristine, doxorubicin and dexamethasone) as standard first-line care for adults with ALL;
• Leading studies establishing CML clinical biology parameters, defining stages and cytogenetic responses, and establishing new prognostic factors in TKI studies;
• Pioneering decitabine and epigenetic hypomethylation therapy for older or inactive patients with MDS and AML;
• Leading studies combining hypomethylating agents (HMAs) with venetoclax, leading to FDA approval of HMA–venetoclax combinations for older/inactive patients with AML;
• Supporting clofarabine development, conducting animal toxicology studies, and leading its subsequent phase 1 and 2 trials and pivotal phase 3 and 4 trials, which gained FDA approval for paediatric ALL;
• Developing several FLT3 inhibitors, isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitors and venetoclax, FDA-approved for AML and its subgroups;
• Developing inotuzumab and blinatumomab regimens with chemotherapy for adults with pre-B ALL;
• Working on imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, ponatinib and omacetaxine development, leading to FDA approval for CML.