Finding Hope in Science:
Phase 1 clinical trials offer options when standard treatment isn't a choice
A Targeted Approach
Tarnacki began participating in a Phase I
trial in August. She continues to receive a drug
that researchers hope will target cancer cells
specifically. This approach to cancer treatment -- called targeted therapy -- differs from systemic
therapies, like chemotherapy. Typically, chemotherapy
drugs kill rapidly dividing cells-regardless
of whether they're cancer.
The trial runs in eight-week increments; after
the first eight weeks were finished, Tarnacki
signed up for another round. Scans show no
change in her cancer.
"This means a lot to my husband and my
family and obviously to me," said Tarnacki,
who served as director of religious education for
her church before retiring. "To have a strand
of hope is very, very important. I never realized
how important it is. I can know the facts, but
that blind hope is very important."
The Ravitz Center is unique in that it focuses
solely on targeted therapies. In this approach
to cancer treatment, researchers try to develop medications that interrupt the signals that cause
cancer cells to reproduce.
Because targeted therapies are focused on
cancer cells specifically, they tend to cause fewer
side effects. Tarnacki said she has experienced
only minor side effects related to changes in her
blood sugar levels.
"Unfortunately, there are diseases like Diana's
where there are no standard treatments,"
said David Smith, M.D., clinical director of the
Ravitz Center. "One of the things we can offer
in that situation is a clinical trial of a promising
targeted therapy. These studies don't come with
the typical side effects of standard chemotherapy --
which even though that's a more common
therapy, is really a long shot for patients like
Diana."
Conquering Cancer Through Innovation
Ultimately, the goal of the Ravitz Center is
to bridge the gap between the laboratory and
the clinic. In Phase I trials, patients with several
types of cancer may participate in a single study.
Once researchers determine the best dosage of
a drug, they will use what they learn to help
develop broader studies.
Phase II and III trials -- which study a therapy's
effectiveness and involve larger numbers
of patients -- are already conducted throughout
the Cancer Center. The core difference is that
the Ravitz Center will help to bring some of the
most promising ideas from Cancer Center labs
into the clinics.
The Cancer Center is a leader in the field of
cancer stem cell research. Cancer stem cells are
the small number of cells within a tumor that
are capable of fueling the tumor's growth. These
cells generally represent fewer than 5 percent of
all cells in a tumor, but they are believed to be
the cells that cause cancer to grow and spread.
Researchers believe more effective cancer
treatments could be developed by finding ways
to target and kill cancer stem cells. Eventually,
these concepts may be tested in Phase I trials at
the Ravitz Center, Talpaz said.
Regardless of which ideas the Ravitz Center
is exploring through clinical trials, its doctors
and staff always put patients and families first.
"We have new ways to provide our patients
with access to cutting-edge treatments that we
haven't had before," Smith said. "But ultimately,
our fundamental goal has never changed: We're
here to take care of people. This gives us one
more way to do that."
To find out if you may be a potential candidate for a trial, talk with your physician.
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Vist the
Engage web site to view open trials.
