In this IJGC podcast, Dr. Pedro Ramirez discusses RAMP 201 Results: Avutometinib and Defactinib in Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer with Susana N Banerjee and Rachel N. Grisham.

Prof Susana Banerjee MBBS MA PhD FRCP is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Research Lead for the Gynaecology Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London. She is also Professor in Women’s Cancers at the Institute of Cancer Research. Dr Banerjee specialises in ovarian cancer and the systemic treatment of endometrial and cervical cancers. Prof Banerjee is President of the Royal Society of Medicine Oncology Section.

Prof Banerjee graduated with a 1st class in Physiology from St John’s College, University of Cambridge. She was president of the Cambridge Medical Society in 1996-1997. She completed her medical training in 2000 at The Royal Free/University College London Medical School where she was a University of London Gold Medal finalist. Dr Banerjee gained a PhD from The Institute of Cancer Research in 2009, University of London and was awarded the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Novartis Oncology Basic Science Award for her research. Other prizes include the Association of Cancer Physicians McElwain Prize, the Sir Antony Driver Prize and the Pfizer British Oncology Association Young Investigator Award (highly commended). She received The Fellow of ESMO (FESMO) Award in 2023.

Prof Banerjee has served in international specialist groups including the European
Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Executive Steering Committee for Gynaecological Cancers, ESGO (European Society of Gynaecological Oncology) Congress Faculty and International Gynecologic Cancer Society Scientific Program Committee. Prof Susana Banerjee was elected to serve on the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Executive Board as Director of Membership (2020-2022). She was Track Chair for Gynaecological Cancers for the ESMO Congress 2018, Scientific Co-Chair for ESMO Asia 2018 and Co-Chair of the ESMO Gynaecological Cancers Congress 2021-2024. She is currently co-chair of the Gynecological Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) Rare Cancers Committee. She is a Theme Lead (Cancer Treatment Effects) for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research.

Prof Banerjee is an author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications including in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Annals of Oncology. Her research interests include individualisation of patient treatment, targeted therapies (including PARP inhibitors) and rare gynaecological cancers. Prof Banerjee has Global and UK Chief Investigator roles of over 30 national and international clinical trials. She led the ENGOTov60/GOG3052/RAMP201 trial globally which resulted in FDA accelerated approval for avutometinib and defactanib - the first approved therapy specifically for low grade serous ovarian cancer.

Dr. Rachel N. Grisham is a medical oncologist and internationally recognized expert in gynecologic cancers, with a particular focus on low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (LGSOC) and rare ovarian malignancies. She has played a leading role in advancing systemic therapy for ovarian cancer through clinical trials, translational research, and national guideline development.

Dr. Grisham has been at the forefront of evaluating novel targeted therapies for LGSOC, including MEK inhibitors, avutometinib, and defactinib, as well as hormone-directed strategies and combinations with novel agents. She has served as principal or co-investigator on multiple pivotal trials, including ENGOT-OV60/GOG-3052/RAMP 201 and RAMP 301, which are shaping the future treatment landscape for recurrent LGSOC. Her work extends to biomarker-driven approaches, exploring MAPK pathway alterations, homologous recombination deficiency, and folate receptor alpha expression, with the goal of developing precision oncology strategies in ovarian cancer.

In addition to clinical trials, Dr. Grisham has published extensively on the molecular landscape and clinicopathologic features of ovarian tumors, treatment paradigms for granulosa cell tumors and clear cell carcinoma, and the management of rare gynecologic neoplasms such as mesonephric-like adenocarcinomas. She is a co-author of the NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancers, reflecting her leadership in shaping standards of care.

Her scholarly contributions include over a decade of influential publications in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, Gynecologic Oncology, International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, and Cancer. She has also authored consensus statements and state-of-the-science reviews that provide critical guidance for clinicians worldwide.

Through her clinical research, teaching, and collaborative international work, Dr. Grisham has made significant contributions to improving outcomes for women with gynecologic cancers, particularly those with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, a historically under-researched disease.