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- Posted Tuesday November 8, 2011
TGen and Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center form drug development collaboration with Cedars-Sinai
Researchers plan joint clinical trials of new cancer treatments
and personalized therapies
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Nov. 8, 2011 - The Virginia G. Piper Cancer
Center at Scottsdale Healthcare is expanding its efforts to
accelerate advances in cancer care with the addition of
Cedars-Sinai's Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Los
Angeles as a collaborator in clinical trials to develop
personalized therapies that could lead to more effective cancer
treatments.
The collaboration will focus on Phase I clinical trials of new
personalized therapies for a variety of rare and common cancers,
focusing on three areas of cancer research:
- Gastrointestinal malignancies including pancreatic, colorectal and gastric cancer
- Genitourinary malignancies such as prostate, kidney and bladder cancer
- Rare cancers including adrenal, neuroendocrine and thyroid cancer
Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials, a partnership
between the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and
Scottsdale Healthcare, will provide local coordination for the
program. The partnership offers patients access to promising new
cancer treatments through clinical trials, emphasizing
collaboration among leading organizations to speed innovation from
laboratory bench to patient bedside.
The collaborative endeavor between TGen, Virginia G. Piper Cancer
Center and Cedars-Sinai also will study new approaches to improve
patients' quality of life during cancer treatment and create
innovative models to deliver supportive care and services to cancer
survivors.
The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare
serves the greater Phoenix area with innovative cancer treatment
and research facilities that attract patients from across Arizona
and the United States.
"In addition to our local patients a significant number travel
from the west coast for treatment at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer
Center. The opportunity to expand our collective efforts against
these cancers will undoubtedly mean progress in medicine's ability
to successfully treat the disease," said Dr. Ramesh Ramanathan,
M.D., Medical Director, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical
Trials, and Deputy Director
of TGen's Clinical Translational Research Division.
Cedars-Sinai is the largest academic medical center in the western
U.S. Its outpatient cancer center treats more than 9,000
patients each year, making it one of the busiest treatment
facilities in California. Earlier this year, U.S. News &
World Report named the institute's cancer program as one of the top
in the country.
"Our two organizations share the same goal: to greatly improve
cancer treatment with therapies that attack the disease in
new and innovative ways," added Steven Piantadosi, M.D., Ph.D.,
Phase One Foundation chair and director of the Samuel Oschin
Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
"Translating new research into effective therapies will improve the
lives of cancer patients, and, ultimately, lead to a time when
cancer is a manageable condition not a feared disease."
The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare
opened in December 2001 as the first comprehensive cancer center in
greater Phoenix and ranks as one of the country's leading programs
for new cancer drug development and Phase I studies.
"We are very excited about this new collaboration intended to
accelerate development of new ways to beat cancer," said Tom
Sadvary, president & CEO of Scottsdale Healthcare. "Our two
organizations share the same commitment to improving the lives of
our patients and expanding the ever-increasing number of cancer
survivors."
Individuals seeking information about eligibility to participate
in clinical trials at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at
Scottsdale Healthcare may contact the cancer care coordinator at
480-323-1339; toll free at 1-877-273-3713; or via email at
[email protected].
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