Clinical Trials

A clinical trial is a research study that people with cancer and other diseases participate in to help doctors improve future treatments. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research participants in a clinical trial follow a pre-determined protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific medical intervention on treatment outcomes. Not only do clinical trial participants help to improve their own health, they contribute to medical research that could improve future cancer treatments. Participants often have access to experimental drugs and treatments that help advance medical research.

The Schwab Family Cancer Center (SFCC) Patient Participation in Clinical Trials

Patients receiving care at the Schwab Family Cancer Center have access to clinical trials that test new treatments, investigate new ways of preventing cancer, screen patients for earlier diagnosis, and monitor the quality of life and/or psychological impact of cancer.

The SFCC is a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) under the affiliation of the University of Pittsburgh. Membership in the ECOG provides not only more opportunities for our patients to participate in clinical trials but allows them to stay in Cumberland while participating.

These ECOG studies include treatment trials for a variety of solid tumors and lymphomas, as well as prevention studies for some kinds of cancer.

Patients may also be enrolled in a variety of industry-sponsored studies. These include diagnostic, observational, registry, and supportive care trials, as well as treatment-related trials for breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer and other malignancies.

Patients are sometimes connected to other institutions that provide access to additional clinical trials. Institutions where patients participated in studies included:

  • UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center, Washington, DC
  • National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
  • Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
  • University of Maryland Greenbaum Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland

How to Join a Clinical Trial

If you’re interested in improving your own care and helping to create more options for future cancer patients, let your oncologist know that you are interested in participating in a clinical trial.

Your oncologist will work with clinical trials nurses to determine what clinical trial(s) you are eligible for by reviewing information relevant to your diagnosis. Your oncologist will discuss with you the clinical trials you are eligible for so you can make the best decision for your circumstances.

Current Clinical Trials

Hematology Studies

A Randomized Phase III Study of Ibrutinib Plus Obinutuzumab Versus Ibrutinib Plus Venetoclax and Obinutuzumab in Untreated Older Patients (>/= 70 Years of Age) with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Disease Registry

Breast Cancer

MammaPrint, BluePrint, and Full-genome Data Linked With Clinical Data to Evaluate New Gene EXpression Profiles: An Adaptable Registry (FLEX Registry)

EndoPredict® Extended Endocrine Trial (EXET): A Prospective Registry to Evaluate the Impact of EndoPredict® Test on Extended Endocrine Treatment Decisions and Patient Outcomes

FDG PET to Assess Therapeutic Response in Patients With Bone-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer, FEATURE

Lung Cancer

A Master Protocol to Evaluate Biomarker-Driven Therapies and Immunotherapies in Previously-Treated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Lung-MAP Screening Study)

A Phase II Study of AMG 510 in Participants With Previously Treated Stage IV or Recurrent KRAS G12C Mutated Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (ECOG-ACRIN LUNG-MAP SUB-STUDY)

Genetic Testing in Screening Patients With Stage IB-IIIA Non-small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Been or Will Be Removed by Surgery (The ALCHEMIST Screening Trial)

Alliance A081801

Integration of Immunotherapy Into Adjuvant Therapy for Resected NSCLC: ALCHEMIST Chemo-IO

ECOG-ACRIN E4512

A Randomized Phase III Trial for Surgically Resected Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Crizotinib Versus Observation for Patients with Tumors Harboring the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) Fusion Protein

Colon Cancer

Alliance A021703

Randomized Double-Blind Phase III Trial of Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Patients with Previously Untreated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (SOLARIS)

Lymphoma

Connect® Lymphoma Disease Registry: A US-Based Prospective Observational Cohort Study

Other Solid Tumor Studies

Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH)
Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors

Our Affiliation with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

The Schwab Family Cancer Center (SFCC) participates in clinical trials with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) managed by the University of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1955, ECOG is one of the first publicly funded corporate organizations in the United States to work with multiple healthcare facilities to conduct clinical trials for cancer research.

ECOG typically works with medical centers such as the SFCC, as well as governments, universities, and similar types of cooperative groups. It works closely with the pharmaceutical industry to test new drugs to treat cancer. You can find the results of ECOG’s research in major scientific publications. Every drug currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came through a clinical trial. That is how critical clinical trials are for the advancement of cancer treatment.