Livingston, N.J. – Some
patients who suffer from recurrent cancer at the chest wall
now have another option. The Radiation Oncology Department at Saint Barnabas
Medical Center is one of a few hospitals nationwide to participate
in a study which combines the use of the heat-sensitive chemotherapeutic
agent ThermoDox® with microwave hyperthermia, or heat.
Depending on risk factors, a large percentage of women with
mastectomies may experience recurrent chest wall (RCW) breast
cancer. The disease is generally defined as the recurrence of
tumor to the area of the initial treatment such as mastectomy.
“ThermoDox® combined with hyperthermia offers
a unique approach to treating patients with difficult and aggressive
recurrence of breast cancer at the chest wall, explains Robert
Goodman, M.D., chairman of The Radiation Oncology Department
at Saint Barnabas Medical Center an co-principal investigator. “Currently,
with no standard of care, women with this type of recurrence
often cannot be adequately treated with surgery, radiation, or
existing chemotherapy.”
The clinical trial, referred
to as the DIGNITY Study, sponsored by Celsion Corporation,
is designed to determine the necessary amount of ThermoDox® needed
to treat RCW. Researchers hope such treatment will provide
a better standard of care and improve the quality of life for
those with the devastating disease.
To learn more, please contact Dr. Goodman at 973-322-5630 or
visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Date: June 22, 2009
Saint Barnabas Contact: Samantha Anton ,
973-322-5425
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