research Local Research, Global Results


at froedtert & The medical College of wisconsin, medical College of wisconsin physicians and scientists are committed to finding new ways to diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases and disorders.


This commitment, which distinguishes an academic medical center, is an


important advantage for patients who receive care here. Below are examples of current clinical trials at Froedtert & The Medical College.


For information, call 414-805-3666 or 800-272-3666 or visit froedtert.com/clinicaltrials.


New Clinical Trials for Cancers Involving the Liver P


hysicians at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are currently investigating several new research drugs for cancers involving the liver, including a new drug that is available at only a handful of medical centers nationwide.


new DruG for Primary liver CanCer Sorafenib is the only drug proven effective against advanced hepatocellular carcinoma


(HCC), a cancer that originates in the liver, when it cannot be removed by surgery. But not every patient with HCC responds to sorafenib, and some patients need to stop taking it because of side effects. A new drug known simply as OSI-906 is being evaluated as an alternative.


OSI-906 inhibits cell signaling processes that drive many cancers. Taken by


mouth, it is available to eligible patients with advanced HCC through a clinical trial now open at the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center.


“There is currently no second-line therapy for this cancer, so we are very pleased


n T. Clark Gamblin, mD, ms


to open this trial for patients,” said T. Clark Gamblin, MD, MS, a Medical College of Wisconsin surgical oncologist. He is the principal investigator of this trial, in collaboration with co-investigator James Thomas, MD, PhD, a Medical College of Wisconsin medical oncologist, and other members of the Liver Cancer Program. Dr. Gamblin noted that the Clinical Cancer Center is one of only four sites in the United States — and the only one in the Midwest — that currently offers this trial.


when Colon CanCer sPreaDs To The liver “More than 150,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in America this year,” Dr. Gamblin


said. “For the majority of them, the cancer will involve their liver at some point.” While there are several drugs for colon cancer that has spread to the liver, experts are uncertain about the


best timing of their administration. The question, Dr. Gamblin said, is how to coordinate drug therapy with surgery.


“Should patients have a few months of chemotherapy, then surgery, then more chemotherapy — or should


n James Thomas, mD, PhD


they go straight to surgery for removal of the cancer and all chemotherapy be administered postoperatively, ” Dr. Gamblin said.


A new clinical trial at the Clinical Cancer Center will examine both approaches. liver,” Dr. Gamblin said. “It will help our Liver Cancer Program optimize what we are offering these patients.” n “This trial will help us understand how to best standardize the treatment of colon cancer that spreads to the


Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are among the select organizations worldwide to be awarded full accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for adhering to the highest standards in their human research programs.Through the rigorous accreditation process, organizations must demonstrate they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation and adhere to the highest standards for research.


4 Froedtert Today September 2011 froedtert.com


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