Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) at Western Regional Medical Center (Western) in Goodyear, Arizona is now accepting patients into a clinical trial that combines more traditional chemotherapy drugs (gemcitabine, docetaxel, nab-paclitaxel, vinorelbine, irinotecan, and/or liposomal doxorubicin) with immunotherapy (pembrolizumab), activating the body’s own immune system to improve upon results that may be achieved from chemotherapy alone. Uniquely, the “PembroPlus” Phase Ib and Phase II study will target patients with advanced metastatic sarcoma, small cell lung cancer, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. There are anticipated to be up to 140 patients enrolled on this multi-arm study.
“Once diagnosed with metastatic cancers of the lung, connective tissue, or pancreas, few patients live longer than two years,” said Vivek Khemka, Medical Oncologist, CTCA® Western and PembroPlus Principal Investigator. “Utilizing a different combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, we will be testing if some patients will experience a complete response.”
Recent data reported in the New England Journal of Medicine1 and Lancet2 demonstrates promising results with antibody-based immunostimulatory therapy in treating melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and non-small cell lung cancer. Data has also shown synergetic effects of utilizing cytotoxic chemotherapy in combination with immunostimulatory therapy (http://ow.ly/FKHXi). PembroPlus will build upon this data, extending treatment options to additional cancer types.
“CTCA will utilize this combination of treatments with a focus on cancer types currently not being targeted elsewhere, providing innovative treatment options for patients fighting advanced-stage cancers,” said Glen Weiss, Director of Clinical Research and Medical Oncologist, CTCA at Western.
For more information or to enroll in the PembroPlus clinical trial, or other CTCA trials currently available, visit http://www.cancercenter.com/clinical-trials/, email WesternTrials@ctca-hope.com or call 888-841-9129.
References:
| 1. | Topalian SL, Hodi FS, Brahmer JR, et al. Safety, activity, and immune correlates of anti-PD-1 antibody in cancer. N Engl J Med. 2012; 366(26):2443–54. | |||
| 2. | Robert C, Ribas A, Wolchok JD, et al. Anti-programmed-death-receptor-1 treatment with pembrolizumab in ipilimumab-refractory advanced melanoma: a randomised dose-comparison cohort of a phase 1 trial. Lancet. 2014; 384(9948):1109-17. |
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America®
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. (CTCA) is a national network of five hospitals that specialize in the treatment of patients fighting complex or advanced-stage cancer. CTCA offers an integrative approach to cancer treatment that combines surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy with nutritional counseling, naturopathic medicine, mind-body therapy, and spiritual support to enhance quality of life and minimize side effects during treatment. The company serves patients from all 50 states at hospitals located in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa. Known for delivering the Mother Standard® of care and Patient Empowerment Medicine®, CTCA provides patients with comprehensive information about their treatment options so they can participate in their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com.
