Case CCC News - Dec 20, 2016

December 20, 2016

MEMBER/CENTER HIGHLIGHTS


	Analisa DiFeo

DiFeo Delivers Talk about Harnessing Passion to Create Lasting Impact

Analisa DiFeo, PhD, Norma C. and Albert I. Geller Designated Professor of Ovarian Cancer Research at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, gave an invited TED-style talk at the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) annual conference in St. Louis last month. In her talk, Dr. DiFeo used examples from her personal and professional life to explain how one's passion can unite a multidisciplinary group of individuals toward a common goal, and the impact on community and science. She touched on why she entered the field of biomedical research, discussed her use of mouse avatars for ovarian cancer research at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and how her work with the Young Scientist Foundation allowed her to impact the next generation of researchers. Watch the video here.

HBA is a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement and impact of women in healthcare worldwide. With 15 chapters throughout the US and in Europe, HBA serves a community of over 30,000 individuals and 100 Corporate Partners.

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Researchers Find Eligibility Criteria In Clinical Trials Overly Strict

New research from Cleveland Clinic finds that clinical trials routinely use excessively strict enrollment criteria, which excludes patients who could potentially benefit from new treatments and limits trial results to a narrow group. The implications are that trials are not being designed to include participants who are representative of society, and therefore, safety results may not reflect what will be seen outside of strict trial eligibility criteria, or in some instances, what are reported on product labels.

The consequences of overly restrictive eligibility criteria may be categorized into two distinct levels: 1) the individual patient level, which emphasizes the negative impact of denying cancer patients access to cutting-edge therapies and 2) the societal level, which focuses on the limited generalizability of trial results.


	Mikkael Sekeres

"For patients, access to advanced therapies, especially for life-threatening diseases with undefined first-line treatment, is vital," said Mikkael Sekeres, MD , Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of Cleveland Clinic leukemia program and co-author on the study. "However, fewer than five percent of adult cancer patients enroll in clinical trials, due in part to eligibility and screening failures."

The study, in Leukemia ( Statler, A, Advance online publication 7 December 2016), investigated the relationship between enrollment criteria and adverse events in 97 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes, recently published in high impact journals.

Of the trials the team analyzed, 33 percent were conducted in leukemia, 28 percent in lymphoma, 34 percent in multiple myeloma, and 5 percent in myelodysplastic syndromes or myelofibrosis.

Researchers found that specific, objective eligibility criteria for enrollment in RCTs routinely exclude patients with comorbidities and/or organ function abnormalities in a way that does not reflect the expected toxicities or observed adverse effects eventually seen in these patients. The alignment of renal, hepatic and/or cardiac toxicities and organ function exclusion criteria suggest eligibility criteria are overly conservative, introducing restrictions that may not be appropriate given the known toxicity of the treatment being studied. View full release

SAVE THE DATE

1st Annual Cancer Disparities Symposium: Building Bridges to Address Cancer Disparities

March, 17, 2017 | Cleveland, OH

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center is excited to announce the inaugural Cancer Disparities Symposium: Building Bridges to Address Cancer Disparities. Understanding and addressing cancer disparities is complex and multi-faceted, and requires attention across the translational spectrum. This half-day event will showcase cutting-edge research, with a focus on reducing and eliminating disparities in cancer, going from bench-to-bedside-to-community and back. This important symposium will also feature two keynote addresses, including a key leader in our community, and an internationally-recognized cancer disparities researcher. We will promote the exchange of ideas and collaborative opportunities among scientists, clinicians, government, and community representatives.

Please save the date! More information to follow.

Registration for the Cancer Disparities Symposium is not yet open. Sign up to receive updates.

CASE CCC IN THE NEWS

Groundbreaking New Treatment Helps those Suffering from Head and Neck Cancers

MELISASource - Dec 15, 2016

As with any cancer diagnosis, relieving symptoms remains an important part of cancer care and treatment. Dr. Michael Gibson, MD, PhD, FACP, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical Director of the Head and Neck Team at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Associate Professor of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine joined me to share the latest in treatment for head and neck cancer.

New brain tumor therapy

WJHG.com - Dec 8, 2016

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive kind of cancerous brain tumor. The standard treatments for this type of tumor and survival is often measured in months, not years For decades scientists have been looking at whether viruses may hold the key to treating brain tumors, and finally they're starting to see some early signs of success. "There are very few new treatments in the world of brain tumors that make it to this point," says Dr. Michael Vogelbaum of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic.

Pacritinib more effective than best available therapy for myelofibrosis with low platelets
Helio/HemOnc Today - Dec 6, 2016

The randomized phase 3 PERSIST-1 trial showed pacritinib induced sustained spleen volume reductions and improved symptom control compared with best available therapy in patients with myelofibrosis, regardless of their platelet count. However, pacritinib was placed on a full clinical hold by the FDA in February 2016 due to concerns over interim survival results, bleeding and cardiovascular events. " This study adds more safety data to the PERSIST-1 study and the earlier-phase studies," researcher Aaron T. Gerds, MD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, hematologist at Cleveland Clinic, told HemOnc Today. "By putting this all together and pooling it, we'll get a better sense of the risk-benefit ratio for patients, and whether this medication should move forward and be made available for the patients who desperately need this treatment."