Advancing the Diagnostic-to-Treatment Continuum in Cancer Care –
Phoenix

Phoenix will bring together leading voices in oncology, hematology, pathology, molecular diagnostics, cancer genetics, and translational science for a multidisciplinary program focused on the advances reshaping how cancer is diagnosed, characterized, and treated.

The program will be chaired by Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, Chair of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and a nationally recognized leader in gastrointestinal oncology and clinical therapeutics; Xia Li, PhD, Medical Director of Molecular Pathology at Clin-Path Associates, PLC, and Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Arizona; N. Jewel Samadder, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Arizona, a gastroenterologist and cancer genetics specialist whose work focuses on hereditary cancer syndromes, genetic evaluation, cancer prevention, and early detection; and Darshil Shah, MD, MPH, Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers and a board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal malignancies.

Dr. Li returns as chair following the previous Phoenix conference, providing continuity as the program expands its multidisciplinary leadership. Together, the four chairs bring complementary expertise across molecular diagnostics, cancer genomics, clinical oncology, gastrointestinal oncology, hereditary cancer, cancer prevention, translational research, and precision medicine, reflecting the diagnostic-to-treatment approach at the heart of the Phoenix program.

As biomarker discovery, molecular profiling, and therapeutic innovation continue to accelerate, clinicians are navigating an increasingly complex landscape of diagnostic and treatment options. The conference will examine how emerging science and evolving clinical evidence are being translated into more precise, individualized approaches to cancer care across both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

Through expert presentations, interactive panel discussions, and clinically relevant case-based education, the program will explore important developments in thoracic, breast, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and hematologic oncology, while highlighting the expanding role of pathology and precision diagnostics in treatment selection, disease monitoring, and patient management.

Participants will gain practical perspectives on targeted therapies, immunotherapy, genomic and molecular testing, liquid biopsy, measurable residual disease (MRD), biomarker-guided treatment strategies, hereditary cancer risk, and emerging therapeutic approaches. Particular emphasis will be placed on how these advances influence real-world clinical decision-making, treatment sequencing, and the selection of appropriate therapies for individual patients.

By bringing together specialists across diagnosis, molecular characterization, cancer genetics, translational research, and treatment, the Phoenix conference creates a collaborative environment to examine the full diagnostic-to-treatment continuum and the innovations shaping the future of precision cancer care.