Brenda L Gallie, MD, FRCPC

The Gallie lab since 1976 has focused on all aspects of the rare children's eye cancer, retinoblastoma, including molecular pathogenesis and clinical impact. My current direction is to translate our discoveries to the 8000 per year newly diagnosed children, wherever they live, worldwide. I led the Canadian National Retinoblastoma Strategy to develop the world’s first guidelines for care for retinoblastoma. To assess prognostic validity of staging for eye cancers, we conducted an international survey that revealed that five previous staging systems had poor prognostic value. Our data supported extensive revision for the 8th edition Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) Cancer Staging System, which demonstrates good prognostic value in the retrospective survey data. Uniquely, the retinoblastoma 8th edition cancer staging includes heritability (H1, H0, HX) as a risk factor, "TNMH”.

As a step towards quality clinical care, my team developed a point-of-care database that enhances accuracy and quality of care, reinforces guidelines, and provides synoptic data for research. DEPICT HEALTH is a language-independent visual summary of care to enhance communication across the circle of care for the multidisciplinary care team, including patient and family. DEPICT HEALTH has been used at SickKids since 2004 and improves quality of communication and clinical research output. We are offering DEPICT HEALTH globally to collate high quality clinical data from all retinoblastoma patients. With consent, we will collect identified point-of-care data from diagnosis to lifelong follow-up, available to all in the patient’s circle of care. When coded, with specific research consent, this comprehensive data will be available to science, accessed in part through the Pediatric Cancer Data Commons.

I am leading the investigator-initiated single-arm, non-randomized, dose escalation phase I clinical trial Sustained-Release Topotecan Episcleral Plaque (Chemoplaque) (STEP-RB). This study will assess primarily safety and secondarily efficacy in patients with de novo, or active residual or recurrent intraocular retinoblastoma. Preliminary Results 17-04-2021 indicate no toxicity on the first 2/5 dose levels, and Complete Remission in 70% of eyes.