W. Thomas Cash, MD, MSc

As an investigator who focuses clinically on children with high-risk solid tumors, my research interests focus on translating novel therapeutic agents and combinations into early phase clinical trials to improve the outcomes for children with relapsed/refractory solid tumors. I earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) from Emory University and as a senior associate in Pediatric Hematology Oncology, spent an additional year of focused training in phase I/II clinical trial and 131I-MIBG therapy administration. As an attending physician at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, I serve as lead consultant for relapsed solid tumor patients and previously served as Interim Director of our Developmental Therapeutics Program, which is the largest phase I/II referral center in the Southeastern United States. I am Assistant Director of our 131I-MIBG and Recurrent/Refractory Neuroblastoma Program, which has administered well over 100 therapeutic 131I-MIBG treatments over the last 10+ years. I have served as institutional PI for the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) since 2017.

I have played a key role in expanding the portfolio of investigator-initiated phase I/II trials for children with recurrent brain and solid tumors. I am currently the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI of four investigator-initiated, phase I/II trials (NCT02644460, NCT02574728, NCT03507491, and NCT04469530), and have recently received funding for two additional phase 1b trials in osteosarcoma. My research focus is conducting trials that combine immunotherapy with other treatment modalities. I was study chair of a recently completed national phase I trial conducted through the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) consortium testing the systemic radiotherapy 131I-MIBG in combination with the monoclonal antibody dinutuximab +/- vorinostat (NCT03332667). Additionally, I serve as co-chair of the current COG phase 3 trial for patients with newly diagnosed high-risk neuroblastoma (ANBL2131), which is testing whether the addition of chemoimmunotherapy during Induction improves outcomes. I am on the study committee for COG trial ANBL1821 which is a randomized phase 2 trial testing chemoimmunotherapy +/- DFMO. Lastly, I recently received funding for a Phase 1b trial testing the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab in combination with SBRT and surgery for patients with isolated pulmonary recurrence of osteosarcoma.