Scott & White's Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is participating in an international study that targets adult relapsed or refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
"This study is important in our efforts to find new and better ways to treat patients with leukemia or lymphoma," said Arthur E. Frankel, M.D., director of Scott & White's Cancer Research Institute, and principal investigator for the Temple portion of the study. "Scott & White, as well as the entire Central Texas community, are fortunate to be included in this international research."
The Phase I/II study is open to eligible patients with previously treated B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), to include small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). B-cell lymphomas account for 80-90% of all Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas. The clinical trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of an investigative therapeutic research agent called CAT-8015.
This research will ultimately include 30 sites in the U.S., Canada and Europe and from 110 to 140 subjects. The study will last about 30 months.
"We want to determine if this agent is effective in destroying cancer cells using varying doses," said Dr. Frankel.
Descriptions:
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), more common in people age 60 and older, is a B-cell disorder in which white blood cells live longer than normal and accumulate in the blood and bone marrow and sometimes the lymph nodes. This accumulation of white blood cells crowds out healthy lymphocytes and causes immune system problems. About 15,490 new cases of CLL were diagnosed in 2009.
- CLL and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) are the same disease with slight variations. When the cancer cells are primarily in the lymph nodes, it's called SLL.
- Follicular Lymphoma, a slow-growing Lymphoma, accounts for 20-30% of the cases of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It occurs equally among males and female adults over the age of 60.
- Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma is an aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) that occurs in B-cells, and accounts for two out of five cases of NHL.
- Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) accounts for about 1 in 20 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnoses in the United States; and typically occurs in patients over 30 years old, most frequently in males over the age of 50.
For additional information about the trials , contact Margarite Grable, CRC, at (254) 724-0292 or mgrable@swmail.sw.org.
The Scott & White Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a leader in Phase I clinical trials investigating the safety and efficacy of targeted protein therapy to treat hematologic malignancies. Established in 2005 to bring new cancer-fighting therapies from the laboratory bench to the patient's beside in less time than traditional methods, the CRI works to find effective therapies for various cancers quickly and cost-effectively.