March 2026

Issue Contents

  • Newly Activated Studies


  • Accruals, Biospecimens, & Special Entries


  • All About AYAs


  • CCDR Corner


  • Diving In


  • Smiling Faces

Newly Activated Studies


These studies have recently activated.

More information can be found on CTSU.


  • A212101: Evaluation of Provider vs. Patient Mediated Cascade Genetic Testing of First-Degree Relatives of Patients With Newly Diagnosed Colorectal Cancer
  • A072301: Phase III Trial of Radiotherapy Followed by Adjuvant Temozolomide in Combination with the IDH Inhibitor Vorasidenib vs Placebo in IDH-Mutated Newly-Diagnosed Grade 3 Astrocytomas
  • A042302: Phase III Evaluation of Fixed Duration Zanubrutinib Plus Sonrotoclax-Based Therapy Compared to Continuous Zanubrutinib in Previously Untreated Older Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL)
  • EA6244: A Randomized Phase III Study of Management of Treatment Naive Primary Melanoma in Elderly Patients

Research Base Meetings



SWOG Spring Meeting: April 30-May 2, 2026-San Francisco, CA

ECOG-ACRIN Spring Meeting: May 5-7, 2026- Baltimore, MD

Alliance Spring Meeting: May 13-15, 2026 - Chicago, IL

NRG Summer Meeting: July 16-18, 2026 - Denver, CO


Monthly Coordinator Call

Affiliate Site Staff Meeting (Coordinator Call)


Monthly Coordinator Meeting

Thursday, April 23, 2026


The meeting will be held from

2:00PM - 3:00PM

on Microsoft Teams


If you did not receive a recurring Teams calendar invite for these meetings, please reach out to Jessica Michael, jmichael@gibbscc.org.


The link for the next call is below

Accruals, Biospecimens, & Special Entries

Under-Represented Populations

All About AYAs

CCDR Corner

Diving In!

Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month



Every March, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) leads Myeloma Action Month. This annual global awareness campaign raises awareness and inspires action in support of multiple myeloma. According to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, approximately 36,110 people living in the US received a diagnosis of multiple myeloma in 2025.


In myeloma, research indicates that participation in clinical trials, access to new treatments, and autologous stem cell transplants—all procedures intended to improve outcomes—offer similar survival benefits. However, mortality rates remain higher among populations who are underrepresented, primarily due to social and economic factors as well as difficulty accessing care. These barriers lead to a longer time lag between diagnosis and the start of treatment (Nishat et al., 2022).


In 2024, the American Society of Clinical Oncology updated its guidelines. The update encourages oncologists to refer patients with hematologic malignancies to palliative care, given the intensive therapies they receive. For example, the new standard for first-line multiple myeloma treatment involves quadruplet regimens (four-drug combinations). However, recent studies show that patients with blood cancers are less likely to receive palliative care than those with solid tumors (Giusti et al., 2024). This underscores the need for greater palliative care support in the heme-onc (hematology-oncology) clinic setting to help patients cope with complex symptoms and emotional strain from myeloma treatment.


Through community engagement and patient support programs, UC-NCORP addresses the barriers to research participation and enrolls patients in trials that improve cancer-related health and survivorship.


Spotlighting Multiple Myeloma at UC-NCORP


  • Dr. Tondré Buck, Medical Director of SMC Hematology/Oncology and multiple myeloma specialist, is the nation’s leading investigator for the NCI Moonshot Biobank protocol. This is due to his efforts with our NCORP, which has multiple myeloma as the highest-enrolled cancer diagnosis type. This ensures NCI researchers have access to myeloma cancer tissue and data for future research. Additionally, Dr. Buck is our local PI for the Sanofi LPS18183 industry trial. This phase 2 study evaluates subcutaneous isatuximab—delivered via an On-Body Delivery System—in combination with weekly carfilzomib and dexamethasone in adult participants with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).


  • Dr. Amy Curtis, Medical Director of Gibbs Cancer Center, is our local PI for AFT/Alliance A232403 – PCORI (PROOF). This trial focuses on longitudinal, monthly, remote, digital financial hardship screening among adults with advanced cancer, including multiple myeloma, to improve survival outcomes. Financial hardship often leads to poor outcomes, including financial worry, symptom burden, and treatment adherence. This trial will use a screening intervention to determine whether connecting patients to financial navigation resources improves health outcomes. As this research is understudied in hematological malignancies, especially multiple myeloma, engagement and support are crucial.

Smiling Faces

Elizabeth Gordon, BS, MS

Elizabeth Gordon has joined the team as a Clinical Research Associate! Elizabeth graduated with a BS in Biology and a MS in Community Engaged Medicine from Furman University. Prior to this role, she worked as an ER Scribe with SRHS and a Medical Scribe/Medical Assistant at Gastroenterology Associates in Greenville. Welcome to the team, Elizabeth!

Mitzi Workman, BSN, RN

Mitzi Workman has joined the team as a Clinical Research Coordinator! Mitzi is originally from the Upstate. She obtained her ADN from USC Upstate and her BSN from American Sentinel University.  She has a background in Case Management and Clinical Research and has also worked in Public Health, NICU and Mom/Baby. Her 1st job as an RN ("just a few years ago"!) was actually at Spartanburg Regional in Pediatrics. Welcome to the team, Mitzi!

Taylor Barnes, BS

Taylor Barnes has joined the team as a Clinical Research Coordinator! Taylor graduated with a BS in Exercise Science and a minor in Biology from the University of South Carolina. Prior to this role, she worked as a medical assistant in orthopedics in Johnson City, TN. Welcome to the team, Taylor!

Do you have any staff you would like highlighted in The Connector?

Please submit it by the 15th of the month to Keira: kvanzyl@gibbscc.org




Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Administrator

Kamara Mertz-Rivera, MA, CCRC

Email: UpstateNCORP@srhs.com

Phone: 864-560-6104


CCDR Director

Melyssa Foust, MSN, RN, OCN

Email: UpstateNCORPCCDR@srhs.com

Phone: 864-560-1035


Regulatory

Josh Acuna, MPH

Email: UpstateNCORPRegulatory@srhs.com

Phone: 864-530-6523



Grant Manager

Alex Akkary, MBA

Email: UpstateNCORPFinance@srhs.com

Phone: 864-560-6967


Quality Assurance

Jessica Michael

Email: UpstateNCORPQA@srhs.com

Phone: 864-530-6510


Community & Social Media 

Keira van Zyl, BA, BS

Email: kvanzyl@gibbscc.org

Phone: 864-560-1956

2759 Hwy 14 South • Greer • SC • 29651