SA-born doctor the brains behind pancreatic cancer breakthrough

NICOLA MILTZ

Dr Talia Golan is a world-renowned specialist and researcher who left South Africa when she was 13, then head girl of Carmel College primary school, and a firm fan of Johnny Clegg and Savuka at the time.

Little did she know then that one day, she would lead research into the disease which took the musician’s life two weeks ago after a valiant struggle.

Golan, a graduate of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, heads up Israel’s Sheba Medical Pancreatic Cancer Center, where she is becoming renowned for headline-grabbing research into the disease.

In the past two months, Golan and her team have been featured in leading medical publications including the New England Journal of Medicine, which recently reported that the drug she has been working on has yielded promising results.

The research team announced recently that a targeted cancer therapy drug it had developed together with pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca and MSD (Merck) offers “potential hope” for patients with a specific kind of metastatic pancreatic cancer, as “it delays the progression of the disease”.

This week, in between seeing patients and meeting her research team, Golan snatched some time to chat with the SA Jewish Report about her extraordinary life and times.

For someone who recently made it onto Forbes Israel’s “50 Most Influential Women in Israel” list, she comes across as surprisingly humble and down to earth – with a strong South African accent after all this time.

“It’s all about the patient,” says the mother of four, who possesses that rare and elusive blend of compassion, empathy, and scientific expertise.

Explaining her research, she said the new drug, Lynparza, which is part of a clinical trial regimen known as POLO, treats a specific type of metastatic pancreatic cancer in those who carry the BRCA 1&2 mutation. The treatment “also exemplifies the advent of precision medicine based on a specific genetic biomarker, BRCA 1&2”, she says.

In other words, the drug can help target those with the BRCA mutations – unstable cells that often lead to cancer. Ashkenazi Jews (who make up the majority of Jews living in South Africa) are particularly vulnerable since they are susceptible to carrying the BRCA gene which can lead to cancer, she says.

Golan has been conducting research and clinical trials with AstraZeneca and MSD, as Merck is called outside the United States, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the new drug-treatment regimen.

This is the first phase 3 biomarker study that is positive in pancreatic cancer, and the drug “provides tremendous hope for patients” in the advanced stage of the cancer. “This drug has shown efficacy, and a really phenomenal response in this patient population,” she said.

The treatment is turning heads in the medical world, with the prospect of long-term survival from this deadly disease seemingly within reach.

Golan has spent the better half of the past decade producing this vital research, and knew early on that she and her team were onto something.

“I knew that POLO and Lynparza had potential. The results we have seen are more than a personal achievement for me. It’s hard to describe the feeling of seeing patients visibly affected. I’m so privileged to do this research, which is giving people real hope for the first time.”

According to Cancer.Net, pancreatic cancer is the 12th most common cancer worldwide. It’s the fourth leading cause of cancer death, and less than 3% of patients with metastatic disease survive more than five years after diagnosis. Early diagnosis is difficult, said Golan, as often there are no symptoms until it is too late. Sadly the majority of patients are diagnosed at metastatic stage.

Golan derives immense satisfaction and joy from knowing that strides have been made, and that medical experts have hailed the drug a potential game-changer in treating the fatal illness.

She told reporters several weeks ago that when they saw that the results were positive, “It was an exceptional, phenomenal moment. For the field, it’s a huge thing.”

Golan’s fondest memories of South Africa include “Sunday braais with family, hanging around the swimming pool with her wildechai (wild) cousins and older brothers, and visits to the Kruger National Park and Durban beachfront”. She says South Africa still feels like a second home when she visits relatives, which isn’t often. “I love the colours, the nature, the people, the accent, the whole feel of the place feels good,” she said.

She emigrated to Israel with her parents, both physicians, and three older brothers, all of whom live in Ra’anana. Her father, Alfie Feinberg, is a retired paediatrician, and her mother, Myra Feinberg, a practicing radiologist. She is married to Yariv Golan, a cyber tech expert, and the couple have four children, aged 19, 17, 14, and 13.

Golan says in the past, few studies showed the benefits of various drug regimens until the Lynparza/POLO trial began showing promise in its various trial phases.

“Interacting with my patients is what I find most fulfilling about my job. It’s humbling, we go through difficult moments,” she says.

According to Sheba Medical, the breakthrough involved screening about 3 000 patients, 154 of whom underwent randomization, and were assigned a trial intervention. The results demonstrated that the drug had a noticeable impact on those affected with the disease. Patients from around the world were given the drug in addition to a round of chemotherapy, and then were treated repeatedly with Lynparza. The trial group’s results far outpaced those who did not receive treatment.

Golan was in South Africa in December for the launch of the South African Friends of Sheba Medical Center. She told those present at the launch that she was “extremely proud” of her roots. “Africa is in my soul,” she said, adding that it was an honour to represent Sheba Medical Center’s work to bringing cutting-edge care to patients.