Study shows colon and
rectal tumors constitute a single type of
cancer
UNC
scientists are part of an international team
reporting results from The Cancer Genome Atlas
(TCGA) project's large-scale study of colon and
rectal cancer tissue specimens showing that the
pattern of genomic alterations in these tissues
is the same regardless of anatomic location, or
origin within the colon or the rectum.
Todd
Auman, PhD, a UNC member of the study’s writing
team, says, “The comprehensive genomic profiling
of colon and rectal cancers reported in this
study has enabled us to identify potential
signaling pathways which could be targets for
selective chemotherapeutics. In addition, the
data provided in this study will serve as a rich
resource for other colorectal cancer researchers
to explore in the future.”
Read
full article.
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Welcome
Dr. Hanna Sanoff
 Dr. Hanna Sanoff
will join the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program
on September 1, 2012.
Dr.
Sanoff was a medical student at the University
of Pennsylvania, completed a medical residency
and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at
UNC-Chapel Hill, and has served on the faculty
at UNC-Chapel Hill and more recently at
the University of Virginia.
Her
research interests include clinical trials of
new drugs and targeted agents for
gastrointestinal cancers, the use of
chemotherapy in the elderly, and the
effectiveness of anticancer therapy in real
world
settings. |
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Clinical Trials
Now Open
LCCC1036:
New protocol combining an inhibitor of PI3
kinase (BKM120, Novartis) to standard
chemotherapy. This is a new drug option
using a drug that inhibits a pathway
that is abnormally activated in many GI
cancers.
LCCC
1029: Multi-Center, Randomized
Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study of Regorafenib
in Combination with FOLFIRI (Irinotecan,
5-Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin) versus Placebo
and FOLFIRI as Second Line Therapy in Patients
with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Regorafenib
is a promising new drug for CRC that has already
been shown to be effective as a single drug.
This study aims to determine whether Regorafenib
can improve upon results of standard
chemotherapy. Read
more (including
brochure). | | |
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Bert
O'Neil, MD, co-director of the Gastrointestinal
Oncology Program and medical director of the UNC
Lineberger Clinical Protocol Office, provides an
overview of UNC's Gastrointestinal Oncology
Program and UNC's commitment to clinical trials
for these often complex patients. Watch
video.
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Upcoming Clinical
Trials
A
multi-disciplinary team led by Radiation
Oncology faculty members Joel Tepper, MD and
Andrew Wang, MD, as well as Radiation Oncology
resident Seth Miller, MD (PGY-3) is
developing a trial to examine the PET/MRI as a
predictor for response to preoperative radiation
therapy and chemotherapy in resectable rectal
cancer. UNC is one of only four locations in the
United States to have a PET/MRI
machine. This pilot study seeks patients
with T3 and/or node-positive rectal cancer to
undergo a PET/MRI scan prior to and after
chemoradiation to evaluate this imaging
modality's ability to predict patients who
experienced a complete response to neoadjuvant
therapy.
This
protocol is not yet open, but has been submitted
for committee review. Enrollment is expected to
begin in fall 2012, and referrals can be made by
contacting Seth Miller, MD, at smille@unch.unc.edu
or 919-445-5532.
MORAB-004-202-CRC:
We are also about to open a trial of MORAb-004,
a novel antibody therapy for refractory
colorectal cancer. This is a novel antibody that
targets the supportive stroma of cancer cells
and is available to patients whose
tumors have stopped responding to all standard
therapies.
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Contact
Information
To
make a referral to the Gastrointestinal Oncology
Program, contact Susie Whorley at
919-966-9700.
For
more information about clinical trials, contact
Julie White at
919-966-4432.
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