Jan 11, 2018

Sue Scott was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2011. When standard treatment failed to eliminate her cancer cells, Scott’s doctor referred her to an immunotherapy clinical trial at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with Christian Hinrichs, M.D., Investigator and Lasker Scholar in CCR’s Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment where the patient’s own immune system is used to fight the cancer. In this video, Sue details her story of survival and experience of taking part in a clinical trial with CCR. Watch the video here.

Jan 4, 2018

The CDH1 gene mutation elevates an individual’s lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer to 60-70 percent. Total gastrectomy, or complete removal of the stomach, is a preventive option for persons with this anomaly. After receiving a positive result for the gene mutation at age 40, David Fogel began researching his options and decided to enroll in a clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health led by Jeremy Davis, M.D., Staff Clinician in the Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch. As part of the trial, which aims to study the effects of stomach removal for patients with the CDH1 gene mutation, Fogel had his stomach removed in October 2017. In a recent interview with Washington’s NBC4, Fogel discussed life without a stomach with a fellow Maryland resident who also underwent a total gastrectomy after testing positive for the CDH1 mutation. Watch the video here. 

Jan 4, 2018

Individuals with the CDH1 gene mutation have an increased risk of developing stomach cancer. Over the last two decades, total gastrectomy, or removal of the stomach, has become an extreme preventive option for those with the CDH1 mutation. After testing positive for the mutation at age 40, David Fogel began researching his options and decided to enroll in a clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health led by Jeremy Davis, M.D., Staff Clinician in the Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch. As part of the trial, which aims to study the effects of stomach removal for patients with the CDH1 gene mutation, Fogel had his stomach completely removed in October 2017. Now months later, Fogel is in high spirits and has no regrets. Read the full story here.

Dec 20, 2017

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is an aggressive form of bladder cancer in which the tumor invades deep into the musculature of the bladder wall, making it more likely to spread to other parts of the body. Standard treatment involves cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy, which is surgery to remove the bladder and nearby organs. However, many patients don’t receive chemotherapy before surgery or may not respond to it. Other patients are ineligible for cisplatin treatment due to poor kidney function. CCR investigators are leading a phase III trial to determine whether an immunotherapy drug given shortly after cystectomy can help these patients. Read more…

Dec 11, 2017

A new phase I clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) is evaluating the safety and tolerability, or the degree to which any side effects can be tolerated by patients, of a two-drug combination as a potential alternative to bladder removal for bladder cancer patients. The trial targets patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) whose cancers have stopped responding to traditional therapies. Read more...

Dec 4, 2017

CCR investigators are leading a trial of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat localized prostate cancer that has recurred after standard radiation therapy. The technique uses advanced molecular imaging to guide the delivery of high doses of radiation just to tumors that have recurred, potentially leading to fewer side effects. Read more…

Nov 21, 2017

Yolland Jackson considers herself a soldier who is determined to fight her small cell lung cancer until the bitter end. In discussing her decision to enroll in a phase II clinical trial led by Investigator Anish Thomas, M.B.B.S., M.D., in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch, she shared some of her reasoning with him. “This is bigger than me. This is happening to me because someone is going to come after me that will need this treatment. Whatever you need to do, I’m in.” Read more…

Nov 16, 2017

A clinical trial for pediatric patients will test the safety and efficacy of enoblituzumab in solid tumors that express a specific protein, including neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, Wilms tumor, or desmoplastic small round cell tumor. Read more... 

Nov 14, 2017

B-cell lymphomas are blood cancers that affect B-cells, white blood cells that develop and mature in bone marrow in the core of most bones. Mark Roschewski, M.D., of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch is leading a study of a new treatment for B-cell lymphomas that have not responded to radiation and chemotherapy. Read more...

Nov 9, 2017

Prostate cancer patients who have failed standard radiation therapy have the options of surgery, radioactive seed implantation or cryoablation. Deborah Citrin, M.D., of the Radiation Oncology Branch is leading a study of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat prostate cancer that has recurred locally after standard radiation therapy. The goal of this study is to use a novel imaging approach to guide treatment and to define the best dose of SBRT for patients whose prostate cancer has recurred after standard radiotherapy. Read more...