Neal Meropol MD discusses FDA decision to remove Avastin for breast cancer treatment
Redefining Cancer Care- The Plain Dealer (June 5, ‘11)
Imagine your loved one surrounded by a team of physicians, nurses and technicians as she undergoes intricate, delicate surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. In the “old” cancer center at University Hospitals, surgeons would have had to wait until after a patient came out of surgery and woke up from anesthesia before ordering an MRI scan to see if they had removed all the malignant tissue. In the “new” cancer hospital, surgeons will be able to see images from an MRI while a patient is still undergoing surgery simply by moving the patient to an adjoining, sterilized room…
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/improved_technology_helps_make.html
University Hospitals plans $30 million proton therapy center
The Plain Dealer (front page centerpiece story)
May 18, ‘11
If all goes as planned come 2014, Northeast Ohio residents will have ready access to the latest in radiation therapy treatment for cancer. On Tuesday, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center announced it will open Northeast Ohio’s first proton therapy center, a $30 million investment that will be a mix of capital, bonds and philanthropy. The treatment delivers radiation to hard-to-reach cancer tumors more accurately and efficiently than conventional radiation therapy, and with fewer toxicity and harmful side effects. Proton therapy uses a powerful beam of protons that targets and matches treatment to the shape of a tumor. As much as 50 to 70 percent more normal tissue surrounding a cancerous tumor remains untouched with proton therapy than with traditional radiation therapy. Proton therapy is used to treat malignancies such as certain brain, head and neck and pelvic cancers and some prostate cancers. Seidman’s proton therapy center is expected to treat between 300-400 patients each year. Currently there are only nine centers in the country. ”The small number of existing units are used quite a bit for pediatric cancers in certain locations and some adult cancers that are hard to reach,” said Seidman President Nathan Levitan.
http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2011/05/uh_plans_30_million_proton_the.html
The New York Times
As a medical student and later during my residency, I trained for some time in a medical center known for its research and clinical trials. Every week, patients with rare diseases and cancers that had not responded to standard therapy arrived from all over the country, eager to try something new, even if the efficacy of the treatments had not yet been proven.
But placed in the context of early-phase clinical cancer trials, unrealistic optimism results in a perfect ethical storm. “You have oncology, a field of medicine that is strongly evidence-based and research-intensive, and you have a population of patients who are experiencing an immediate threat to their lives,” said Dr. Neal J. Meropol, a researcher who has done extensive work on the ethics of early-phase cancer trials and chief of the division of hematology and oncology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
“Patients almost invariably take part in early-phase clinical trials because they believe they will personally benefit.”
Read the full story :: New York Times
In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-scientists are exploring a new method to potentially prevent recurrence of an early stage, aggressive type of breast cancer.
The pilot study, conducted by Joe Baar, MD, Professor, Division of Hematology Oncology, Director of Breast Cancer Research at UH Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center, is recruiting patients with HER-2 neu+ breast cancer. “This study has the potential to change the standard of care for women with this type of breast cancer, which tends to spread very quickly,” says Dr. Baar, who is also Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Read the full article :: Medical News Today
Life Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: LIFE) announced it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for StemPro® MSC SFM a first for this next-generation stem cell culture medium that is now cleared as a medical device and satisfies a crucial requirement for researchers involved in clinical trials in the United States…”
An FDA-cleared, serum-free medium certainly provides a positive step toward moving away from mostly animal-based products for growing mesenchymal stem cells,” said Stanton L. Gerson, MD, Professor, Division of Hematology Oncology in the Department of Medicine, Director, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and the National Center for Regenerative Medicine, at Case Western Reserve University, a pioneer in the use of adult stem cells to treat cancer and heart disease who is also part of a team conducting early phase clinical trials with MSCs to treat graft-versus-host disease and multiple sclerosis. “Growth media that is better defined can facilitate regulatory requirements. Ultimately, clinical trials will determine whether it benefits patients.”
Tuesday, March 08
In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center are exploring a new method to potentially prevent recurrence of an early stage, aggressive type of breast cancer. The pilot study, conducted by Joe Baar, MD, Director of Breast Cancer Research at UH Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center, is recruiting patients with HER-2 neu+ breast cancer.
Patients with this form of breast cancer typically have a higher recurrence rate of nearly 25% following initial treatment. This novel study aims to improve outcomes through performing bone barrow biopsies to identify if patients’ cancer has spread and adding an additional cancer-targeting drug to standard therapy.
“This study has the potential to change the standard of care for women with this type of breast cancer, which tends to spread very quickly,” says Dr. Baar, who is also Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “A small number of HER-2 neu+ breast cancer patients do not do well following standard therapy. We are hoping to identify these high-risk patients and stop the cancer before it progresses to other parts of the body.”
Impact of Oncotype DX Test on Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy & Costs in Patients with Stage II Colon Cancer
In an independent study led by co-author, Neal Meropol, University Hospital Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Research University, results showed that clinical use of the Oncotype DX Recurrence Score to assess risk of recurrence in T3 stage II colon cancers with intact mismatch repair (MMR-P) is likely to improve quality-adjusted life expectancy and be cost-saving from a societal perspective. Patient age and adverse effects associated with chemotherapy are important considerations in adjuvant treatment decisions. The study, “Use of a multigene prognostic assay for selection of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II colon cancer: Impact on quality-adjusted life expectancy and costs” (N. J. Meropol et al, Abstract #491), will be presented in a poster on Saturday, January 22.
“Our data support the notion that use of a genomic test like the Recurrence Score Assay may potentially reduce chemotherapy use, improve quality adjusted survival, and save health care costs,” said Neal J. Meropol, M.D., Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University.
Impact of Oncotype DX Test on Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy & Costs in Patients with Stage II Colon Cancer
In an independent study led by Neal Meropol, University Hospital Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Research University results showed that clinical use of the Oncotype DX Recurrence Score to assess risk of recurrence in T3 stage II colon cancers with intact mismatch repair (MMR-P) is likely to improve quality-adjusted life expectancy and be cost-saving from a societal perspective. Patient age and adverse effects associated with chemotherapy are important considerations in adjuvant treatment decisions.
The study, “Use of a multigene prognostic assay for selection of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II colon cancer: Impact on quality-adjusted life expectancy and costs” (N. J. Meropol et al, Abstract #491), will be presented in a poster on Saturday, January 22.
“Our data support the notion that use of a genomic test like the Recurrence Score Assay may potentially reduce chemotherapy use, improve quality adjusted survival, and save health care costs,” said Neal J. Meropol, M.D., Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University.