August 2009 clinical trials update
By Jim Hughes
LRG Clinical Trials Coordinator
This month we have added a Phase I trial of Vorinostat and Bortezomib at the Carbone Cancer Center, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. This trial was reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncologists conference in June. Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor. This class of drugs has been identified as having potential therapeutic application in GIST. Three GIST patients have entered this trial. So far, researchers report that the best response has been a short term stable. We will be watching this trial for additional reports.
Additional sites have been added to the Nilotinib versus Imatinib Phase III firstline trial ongoing worldwide. There are 75 sites listed, of which 30 are recruiting. Two of these are in City of Hope Hospital in California and MD Anderson in Texas. This trial is for newly diagnosed and recurrent patients who have not had prior Sutent or Gleevec therapy except with Gleevec for adjuvant use. The sites for the SF1126 Phase I trial have been updated to include Emory University in Atlanta, as well as Scottsdale, Tucson and Indianapolis.
