This section of the Weisenthal Cancer Group website pertains to a clinical study which will begin enrolling qualified participants soon. 

 

Participant Qualifications

-        Patients with a diagnosis of cancer who are candidates for treatment with anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapy).

 

Study Design

-        Living cancer cells are obtained individually from each trial participant and exposed in the laboratory to the widest possible range of chemotherapy drugs. 

-        Included are standard treatments and new targeted drugs, including kinase inhibitors and anti-angiogenic agents. 

-        Drugs are tested as single agents and in rational drug combinations.

-        Drug activity is reported to treating physicians to aid in individualized treatment design and therapy selection.

 

What is new or different about this study?

-        This study involves the use of a new laboratory test that allows for simultaneous identification of anti-tumor activity and anti-vascular activity in established anti-cancer drug treatments and also in novel combinations of standard drugs, kinase-inhibiting drugs, and new anti-angiogenesis agents.

-        Progress of patients in the study is reported online, in real-time (patient privacy is rigorously protected), allowing current and prospective trial participants to determine if there is benefit from study participation.

-        Also allows patients and cancer physicians to assess the clinical activity of individualized drug treatments without waiting months or years for publication of study data. 

 

What is the aim of this study?

-        It is hoped that patients whose treatments are tailored specifically for them with knowledge of drug activity observed in the laboratory against their own cancer cells will achieve clinical benefits which are as good as or superior to those of patients who receive treatments which are not individualized for them in this manner.  However, there is no clinical study in which treatment success can be guaranteed.  

 

Other Study Features                                                                              

-        No patient will be “randomized” to a secondary treatment arm as occurs in many studies. 

-        No patient will receive a placebo or other “control” therapy as occurs in many studies. 

-        Each patient will receive the individualized treatment which offers the highest probability of benefit, in the opinion of the patient’s treating physician and also based upon information resulting from laboratory testing as described above.