Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients have an opportunity to enroll in a groundbreaking, Chicago-area clinical trial of promising new drugs for tumors that have a high risk of recurring.
Loyola University Medical Center is participating in an unprecedented nationwide clinical trial called I-SPY-2. New investigational drugs are individually targeted to the characteristics of each patient's tumor. Physicians and scientists will use genetic or biological markers ("biomarkers") and the genes of the patient's cancer cells to help determine which drugs are most suited to a patient's risk status. Targeting the tumor's biology is an example of personalized medicine, which is the new frontier in breast cancer treatments.
In I-SPY-2, patients will be randomly assigned to receive standard chemotherapy or standard chemotherapy plus one of the investigational drugs before surgery. Patients will have one MRI scan during the screening phase and another three MRIs during the treatment phase. Patients also will have two biopsies, and the cancer will be removed during surgery.
Dr. Kathy Albain, a nationally known breast cancer specialist, is lead researcher at the Loyola site. The five-year, $26 million project is led by the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health and is sponsored by the Biomarkers Consortium, a unique public-private partnership that includes the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and major pharmaceutical companies. The trial will pay for all biopsies and tests that are not considered standard care but are part of the study design.
To determine if you are eligible for the trial, see our multidisciplinary team of breast cancer experts at the Loyola Breast Oncology Center before your tumor is treated or removed. The tumor must be at least one inch in size. Our team will conduct a rapid screening to determine whether you meet the criteria to enroll in the trial. For more information, call Kathy Czaplicki, RN, 708-327-3222 or visit http://www.ispy2.org
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
