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More than $1 Million Granted for Patient-Centered Cancer Studies

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Cancer Treatment Research Foundation (CTRF) recently approved four grants totaling nearly $1.2 million. These grants represent the latest novel approaches in early stage or first time clinical trials. These studies take what's been learned throughout the cancer research community to the next level, offering innovative approaches to people battling all types of cancer while furthering the search for a cure.

Unique dual-action drugs may boost immune system
Washington University's Dr. William Hawkins will be evaluating the safety and effectiveness of two drugs in combination therapy. One decreases the immune resistance of tumors and the other increases the immune system's effectiveness on tumors. The study will focus on pancreatic and breast cancer patients after they've undergone surgical treatment. If the drug therapy achieves the desired results, this new immune modulating therapy could have significant impact on late stage cancer patients.

Vitamin D could prevent aggressive prostate cancer
Vitamin D has been shown to help maintain prostate health, but vitamin D deficiency is widespread in the United States. Dr. Sebastiano Gattoni-Celli of the Medical University of South Carolina will conduct a clinical study to find out if daily vitamin D supplementation can actually lower PSA levels. PSA is the antigen used to test for prostate cancer; typically, the lower the PSA level, the better the prostate health. He believes that sufficient levels of vitamin D could help prevent prostate cancer from progressing to aggressive disease.

Vitamin C may offer new way to eliminate cancer cells
Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant taken daily by many. Vitamin C given intravenously has quite a different metabolic process than oral doses. Dr. Christopher Stephenson of Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center has begun a study to determine the safety and effectiveness of high dose intravenous vitamin C in stage IV cancer patients. It is expected that escalating the dose will increase patients' longevity and quality of life while battling their illness and will ultimately kill cancer cells.

Tailored radiation to focus only on tumor
Dr. Delphine Davis of the University of Rochester will evaluate the accuracy of new scan technology to predict and map the exact shape of brain tumor recurrences. This will allow for focused radiation therapy that more closely targets only the tumor, leaving more healthy brain tissue intact. It is expected that this new treatment will substantially increase the survival rate for those with brain cancer.

Preliminary grant requests are accepted on an ongoing basis, with invitations to submit full grants coming from CTRF's Board of Scientific Counselors. Visit ctrf.org for more information.

About Cancer Treatment Research Foundation
Cancer Treatment Research Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to curing cancer through funding patient-centered clinical studies that impact those battling cancer. Thanks to generous underwriting of operational expenses, 99 cents of every dollar donated to CTRF goes directly to cancer research programs.

This is an open-access article

 Download PDF

If the document does not open, please right-click on the link (control-click on a Macintosh) and select the option to save the file to disk.