Q: How do you think cancer research will change in the next 10 to 20 years?
There has never been a more exciting time to do cancer research.
Over the next 10-20 years, I expect that immunotherapy will continue to advance. We’ll start to see greater clarity in patient selection and in combining immunotherapies with other therapies.
Metabolomics is another exciting area of research, and I anticipate that the biological discoveries in this area will begin to be translated into new treatments. Likewise, our growing understanding of the interaction of the microbiome with the causes and treatment of cancer will produce new ways of decreasing the toxicity and increasing the efficacy of cancer treatments.
Biostatistics and bioinformatics are already central to much of our research, and the contributions of these fields will continue to grow. We’ll see a greater emphasis and opportunity to use mobile technologies to record patient reported outcomes.
There will be challenges as well. Our increasing understanding of tumor heterogeneity means that almost all diseases are becoming “orphan” diseases. When I was a medical oncology fellow and a radiation oncology resident, lung cancer was either “small cell” or “non-small cell.” Therefore, you could design a single trial that would apply to large group of patients. Now our protocols are, for example, “erlotinib-resistant EGFR mutated lung adenocarcinoma.” That’s so much more specific of a patient population, and we expect to accrue only a few patients a year. But it’s the same effort in protocol writing and start-up. While I am excited that our outcomes continue to improve, it is certainly a challenge to our clinical trial implementation. Read More
April 1, 2016: In this month's Q&A, Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Administrative Headquarters addresses common questions related to data processes and capabilities. What electronic data capture system (EDC) does Big Ten CRC Administrative Headquarters use for clinical trials? The Big Ten CRC Administrative Headquarters uses OnCore Enterprise Research Electronic Data Capture Module (EDC), a product of Forte Research Systems. EDC is part of the larger OnCore Enterprise Research System that allows for protocol, subject, and data management in one centralized place. OnCore’s EDC provides the following key features: Read More
March 20, 2016: A game-plan is strategy in motion - the key to a winning plan is insightful strategy. The team-research culture of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium fosters such insight, and Big Ten CRC member institutions are positioned to win. In this month’s edition of Across the Consortium, we take note of crucial plays made possible by the members' plan to rapidly drive from ideas to new approaches to cancer treatment. Read More
March 4, 2016: In this month's Q&A, Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Administrative Headquarters addresses common questions related to monitoring. Monitoring staff at Big Ten CRC Administrative Headquarters will perform risk-based monitoring as outlined in our Data Monitoring Plans. Site monitoring is an essential part of the Big Ten CRC's ability to successfully run trials. Monitoring staff will source verify critical data elements in the patient charts to what is entered into the OnCore database. Critical data is identified as data supporting the primary and secondary objectives (e.g., eligibility, treatment data, disease evaluations, adverse events, serious adverse events, specified tests, etc.). Read More
March 4, 2016: Among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that every year about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people die from it. March is "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month,” a time to purposefully support patients, rally researchers, and educate all, as we focus on reducing the burden of and working toward a cure for this deadly disease. The member institutions of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium continue leading this charge, united in purpose and diverse in talent. Read More
Feb. 18, 2016: Opportunity is knocking Across the Consortium, and member institutions of The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium are opening doors to greater innovation and impact. Through powerful partnerships, visionary leadership, an "all-in" investment in infrastructure, research, and outreach, members are unlocking answers for today, promise for tomorrow, hope that reaches beyond borders, and decades of vision now realized. Read More
Feb. 1, 2016: Investigators within the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium recently presented results from the Phase Ib portion of the BTCRC-GU14-003 study, establishing the maximum tolerated dose of pembrolizumab and bevacizumab in combination for subjects with metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma after failure of at least one systemic therapy for metastatic disease. In a poster session presented at the 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco in January, investigators reported no dose-limiting toxicities or serious adverse events related to the study drug had been reported. The 200 mg fixed dose of pembrolizumab and 15 mg/kg dose of bevacizumab, both given every three weeks, was determined to be safe and recommended for a multicenter Phase 2 study that is ongoing. (Read More
Feb. 1, 2016: A conversation with Anas Al-Janadi, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and medical director of the MSU Breslin Cancer Center, a member of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. Q: How do you think cancer research will change in the next 10 to 20 years? We believe strongly that collaboration is the best possible way to conduct cancer research without expanding the cost, particularly at a time when government funding for medical research has remained stagnant. But collaboration offers many other... Read More
Feb. 1, 2016: In this month's Q&A, Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Administrative Headquarters addresses common questions related to correlative research. In what aspects of a clinical trial are correlative research managers at Big Ten CRC Administrative Headquarters able to assist? As clinical trials continue to increase in complexity and further emphasize translational science, the collection of correlative specimens and the succeeding specimen analysis becomes ever more important. To ensure this process is carried out effectively, the correlative managers act as the point of contact for sites to answer any correlative questions that may arise. Read More
Jan. 27, 2016: All 69 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers, including nine members of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, have issued a joint statement urging HPV vaccination for the prevention of cancer. About 79 million people in the United States are currently infected with a human papillomavirus (HPV) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 14 million new infections occur each year. Several types of high-risk HPV are responsible for the vast majority of cervical, anal, oropharyngeal (middle throat) and other genital cancers. While many of these cancers are preventable through the HPV vaccine, vaccination rates across the U.S. remain low. Read more in the following news releases: Read More
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