Metastasis in Slow Motion: Preventing Cancer’s Return

What if cancer didn’t strike in one dramatic moment—but instead lingered, quietly, for years? Long after a tumor seems gone, rogue cells can lie dormant. They wait. And sometimes, they return. This is the mystery of metastatic relapse—and the frontier where Dr. Cyrus Ghajar works. 

At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Ghajar leads research into how dormant cancer cells evade treatment and what reactivates them. His lab bridges oncology, immunology, and bioengineering to explore the role of the immune system in suppressing dormant cancer cells. It’s a delicate numbers game that can tip the balance between remission and recurrence. 

Supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Kuni Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense and other funders, Ghajar holds the Peter S. Lefkarites Memorial Endowed Chair. Ghajar’s work is reshaping how we think about metastasis—not as a sudden invasion, but a slow, stealthy process that might be intercepted. Join us to explore how silence in the body might hold the key to preventing relapse. 

Agenda -

11:30 am to 12 pm - lunch

12 pm to 12:40 pm - presentation

12:40 pm to 1 pm - audience Q&A

Register on luma: Discovery Series, Dr. Cyrus Ghjar, Professor, Fred Hutch · Luma