January 5, 2011
Posted in Cancer Awareness, Cancer Research, Media tagged American Cancer Society, cancer blood test, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld at 1:36 pm by Allison Hohlman
The American Cancer Society Pressroom blog posted the following on January 3, 2011.
Health care company Johnson & Johnson has announced a $30 million commitment to do further investigation on developing a blood test designed to detect cancer cells in the blood, an approach that investigators have long hoped could revolutionize cancer detection. The American Cancer Society has supported research in this area, including a one-year fellowship to Dino DiCarlo, Ph.D. in 2007, and a just concluded three-year research grant to Shannon Stott, Ph.D., two of the scientists on the team that invented the test highlighted in today’s report.
Here’s what Len Lichtenfeld, M.D., deputy chief medical officer, had to say about the news today.
“The announcement this morning that medical researchers from several highly regarded cancer research centers along with a major medical diagnostics company are moving forward with further development and testing of a technology which can isolate single cancer cells in a blood sample is exciting and important. The ability to sort through billions of normal cells to find a single cancer cell is a breakthrough in cancer research that has far-reaching—but still unconfirmed—implications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and possibly for cancer screening as well.
“Many researchers have been working on developing such tests, and this announcement moves the process forward in terms of bringing this technology to the clinic within the foreseeable future. At the same time, it is important to remember that this announcement is simply that: an announcement of another step in the scientific process to help us understand the true implications of this technology.
“As noted in the various media reports, researchers have been surprised to find circulating cancer cells in patients’ whose cancers were thought to be localized. Whether or not that discovery predicts the future behavior of a patient’s particular cancer—and whether or not treatment should be intensified as a result of such a finding—is not clear at this time.
“Going forward, researchers will certainly be looking for answers to the questions about the role of this technology, including for example whether or not it predicts more aggressive cancer behavior, whether it predicts and precedes clinical evidence of cancer response or progression after treatment with certain drugs, and whether or not a patient’s chemotherapy treatment can be modified based on analysis of single cancer cells circulating in the blood.
“It is likely that in the not too distant future this test or one similar to it will be evaluated as a screening tool for certain cancers, moving us further down the line to earlier detection of cancer. As a result, it will be important for us to redouble our efforts to determine which cancers will in fact cause harm to patients, since many researchers are concerned that earlier diagnosis could lead to potentially harmful and unnecessary treatments for cancers that would otherwise not be problematic for individuals.
“Researchers have been working on this and similar technologies for some time, and others have predicted a day when we will be able to diagnose cancers before they are otherwise visible by current techniques. It is appropriate to view announcements such as the one today with enthusiasm, but recognize that we must temper that excitement with the realization that there is still much research to be done to determine the true impact of this test on the treatment of patients with cancer.”
Visit the ACS Pressroom blog to read an addendum about research funding
Read Dr. Len’s blog
Source: ACS Pressroom Blog. (January 2011). Cancer Blood Test to Get Financial Boost. Retrieved from: http://acspressroom.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/cancer-blood-test-to-get-financial-boost/
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September 15, 2010
Posted in Cancer Research, Media tagged Cancer research, clinical trials at 2:52 pm by Allison Hohlman
Dr. Elyse Schneiderman is featured in an article on KeepingChicagoWell.com. The article, “Taking the Mystery out of Clinical Trials” breaks down the myths and facts surrounding cancer studies. Read her article below and be sure to read our patient Suzanne’s story about going through a clinical trial- on Adventist Midwest Health’s website.
When you hear the phrase “clinical trial,” do you immediately think about experimental treatments and unnecessary testing? Fears like these are common and are part of the reason why less than five percent of adults participate in clinical trials. This can also slow down advancements in medicine, including cancer treatment.
“The only way to learn more and discover better treatments is by exploring newer therapies through clinical trials,” says Elyse Schneiderman, MD, a hematologist/oncologist with Adventist Bolingbrook and Adventist Hinsdale Hospitals. Misconceptions about clinical trials are some of the greatest barriers to patient enrollment. Dr. Schneiderman helps debunk the common myths surrounding clinical trials.
Myth: Cancer clinical trials test unproven treatments.
Fact: Before any new treatment or preventive drug moves into clinical trial, it often spends years undergoing testing in a laboratory. During this time, researchers test whether or not a drug will be effective and what the possible side effects are. When a drug moves into clinical trial, it goes through four phases that test safety, effectiveness and treatments compared to the current standard of therapy. The last phase observes the drug over a long-term period after it is approved.
Myth: Clinical trials are often last resorts for treatment.
Fact: Clinical trials exist for a variety of types and stages of cancer. They can also be used to test new therapies for cancer prevention.
Myth: Clinical trials aren’t safe.
Fact: Although there is a calculated risk when participating in a clinical trial, patient safety is always top of mind. According to Dr. Schneiderman, these studies are scrupulous about any adverse events. If there is a concern, the study may be temporarily or permanently stopped. Furthermore, if a patient is having severe side effects, they may leave the trial.
Myth: Patients involved in cancer clinical trials are treated like lab experiments.
Fact: “Many people choose to be in a clinical trial because they have a chance to be on the cutting edge of medicine, gain access to the newest treatments and have the opportunity to help themselves and future generations,” Dr. Schneiderman says.
At Adventist Midwest Health, the majority of cancer clinical trials are sponsored through the National Cancer Institute and patients are closely monitored throughout the trial. “Before patients enter a study, they fill out a detailed consent form where they learn about everything from the goals of the study to the possible risks and benefits,” Dr. Schneiderman says.
Myth: Some patients in cancer clinical trials don’t receive any treatment at all.
Fact: In comparative trials, patients never get anything less than the current standard of care. On some occasions, the standard is no therapy and under those circumstances, a placebo may be compared to another therapy. “Even if patients don’t receive the new therapy, they are still a critical part of the study,” Dr. Schneiderman says.
Myth: Patients don’t receive quality, individualized care during a clinical trial.
Fact: Patients are monitored with precise attention to how they are tolerating a trial. There are firm regulations that are designed to keep patients safe. For example, the dosing of a new drug may need to be adjusted to the individual based on their body size or side effects. “Some studies include a quality of life analysis, and no two people are the same,” Dr. Schneiderman says. “Therefore, care needs to reflect that.”
Myth: Patients are forced to remain in a cancer clinical trial until it officially ends.
Fact: According to Dr. Schneiderman, the patient is the main priority in a clinical trial – not the study. “If the new therapy is producing too many side effects or patients just aren’t coping well, we can take steps to intervene and the patient can leave the study at any time,” she says.
At Adventist Midwest Health, patients have access to a variety of cancer clinical trials for common cancers, including breast, colon and lung cancers. The list of trials changes regularly because studies close when they acquire enough participants. “We understand clinical trials can be intimidating,” Dr. Schneiderman says. “But medicine will never move forward without them.”
For more information on Clinical Trials, visit Clinical Research Trials for Cancer.
Source: Keeping Chicago Well. (2010). Taking the Mystery Out of Clinical Trials. http://keepingchicagowell.com/articles/taking-mystery-out-clinical-trials)
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September 1, 2010
Posted in Cancer Awareness, Cancer Research at 2:17 pm by Allison Hohlman
On September 5, 2008 more than 50 celebrities came together to make history in the fight against cancer. Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) was an hour long television program that aired on multiple channels and raised over $100 million for cancer research. The organization’s mission is as follows:
“Stand Up To Cancer is a new initiative created to accelerate groundbreaking cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C’s goal is to bring together the best and the brightest in the cancer community, encouraging collaboration instead of competition. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C creates awareness and builds broad public support for this effort. (standup2cancer.org)”
You can Stand Up To Cancer on Friday, September 10, 2010 at 7:00 PM CT by tuning in to NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and other networks. 100% of donations go to collaborative cancer research (click here to learn more about how funds are used). Visit http://www.standup2cancer.org for other ways to get involved. You can join a fundraising team, start your own fundraising team, buy a “star” for someone affected by cancer or purchase countless products where proceeds benefit SU2C.
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June 23, 2010
Posted in Cancer Research tagged cancer protocols, clinical research trials, eastern cooperative oncology group, national surgical adjuvant breast and bowel project at 9:45 am by Allison Hohlman
What are clinical trials?
A clinical trial is a research study designed to evaluate potential new treatment options. These studies are the result of a long and deliberate cancer research process that often takes years.
Clinical trials test the safety and effectiveness of new or modified cancer drugs, new drug doses, unique approaches to surgery or radiation therapy and varied combinations of treatments. Clinical trials are an integral component of improving the treatment of medical conditions because they lead to higher standards of care. In the United States, all new cancer treatment products must proceed through an orderly clinical trial evaluation process to ensure that they have an acceptable level of safety, and demonstrate benefit to helping patients with a specific cancer, before they become commercially available to other patients. Clinical trials essentially fall into two general categories.
NEW DRUG. The first general category of clinical trials is designed to evaluate new drugs, compounds, or biologic agents that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration to patients.
NEW INDICATION OF AN APPROVED DRUG. Clinical trials may also evaluate drugs, compounds or biologic agents already approved by the FDA for the treatment of one type of cancer. These substances have already been determined to be safe by the FDA and they are now being evaluated in different doses, schedules and combinations to determine how to optimally use them for the treatment of a variety of cancers.
Phases of Clinical Trials
Development of new anticancer agents and treatment strategies occurs in four phases. Each phase is designed to determine specific information about the potential new treatment, such as its risks, safety and effectiveness compared to standard therapy. The hope is that the new therapy will be an improvement over the previous standard therapy.
PHASE 1 TRIALS: This phase is probably the most important step in the development of a new drug or therapy. These trials usually involve a small number of patients for whom other standard therapies have failed, or for whom no known alternative therapy is available. Phase I therapy may produce anticancer effects, and a small number of patients may benefit. However, the primary goals of this phase are to determine anticancer activity in humans, the maximum tolerated dose of the treatment, the manner in which the drug works in the body, the toxic side effects related to different doses and whether toxic side effects are reversible. Upon completion of phase 1 trials, the information that has been gathered is used to begin phase 2 trials.
PHASE 2 TRIALS: Once the information is gathered and analyzed from phase 1 trials, phase 2 trials are designed to determine the effectiveness of the treatment in a specific patient population at the dose and schedules determined in phase 1. These trials usually require a slightly higher number of patients than phase 1 trials. Drugs or therapies that are shown to be active in phase 2 trials may become standard treatment or be further evaluated for effectiveness in phase 3 trials.
PHASE 3 TRIALS: Phase 3 trials compare a new drug or therapy with a standard therapy in a randomized and controlled manner in order to determine proof of effectiveness. Phase 3 trials require a large number of patients to measure the statistical validity of the results, as patient age, sex, race and other unknown factors could affect the results. To obtain an adequate number of patients, several physicians (investigators) from different institutions typically participate in 3 clinical trials.
PHASE 4 TRIALS: Once the drug or treatment becomes part of standard therapy, the manufacturer of the drug may elect to initiate phase 4 trials. This phase includes continued evaluation of the treatment effectiveness and monitoring of side effects as well as implementing studies to evaluate usefulness in different types of cancers.
How are clinical trials conducted?
Clinical trials are designed to test treatments under very specific scientific and ethical guidelines. Clinical trials use written protocols to define the purpose, design and conduct of a specific clinical trial. All of the research centers participating in a particular study use the same research protocol. The protocol is written by the sponsor of the study and explains what the trial will do, how it will be conducted, where it will be conducted, who may participate and how and when the participants will be evaluated. Sponsors of clinical trials include, but are not limited to, the National Cancer Institute, groups or networks of physicians, individuals within a single cancer institution and manufacturers of biopharmaceutical products.
Are clinical trails safe?
Both standard care and clinical trials have risks, side effects and benefits that vary depending on the individual. However, there are rigorous guidelines in place to protect the well being and safety of clinical trial participants. The physician and research nurse conducting the study will explain any known or anticipated risks ahead of time. Once a patient’s eligibility for a specific trial is established, the research nurse will explain the informed consent process. Informed consent is one of the patient’s most important rights in the research process, as it outlines the purpose of the study, the exact treatments that will be administered, all possible side effects, and the patient’s right to withdraw from the study at any point. Signing the consent form acknowledges that the trial was explained and is understood. Also, clinical trial participants are constantly monitored to identify any changes in their condition.
Why participate in clinical trials?
Clinical trials are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatment interventions. The objective of these clinical trials is to test new therapies in patients who have cancer. Patients participate in clinical trials for several reasons, including:
- Improved management of symptoms resulting from treatment or cancer
- The opportunity to directly contribute to improving the understanding of how to treat a cancer and ultimately, benefit other patients
Patients who participate in clinical trials receive either a promising new treatment or the best available conventional treatment. If a new treatment option is proven to work, patients who are participating in the clinical trail will be among the first to benefit. While there is no guarantee that any treatment will be successful, clinical trials have been proven to offer some of the most effective cancer treatments currently available.
Hinsdale Hematology Oncology Associates participates in several clinical research trials through affiliations with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP).
http://www.nsabp.pitt.edu/
http://www.ecog.org/
Breast Cancer Clinical Trial open at HHOA http://www.hhoaltd.com/topicsofinterest03.html
Lung Cancer Clinical Trial open at HHOA http://hhoaltd.com/topicsofinterest_Lung_Cancer_Clinical_Trial_Open.html
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