Newswise — New Brunswick, N.J., August 25, 2015 – Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is joining forces with its Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center and Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center of Atlantic Health System in offering patients with rare forms of cancer or with cancer that no longer responds to standard treatment access to a clinical trial. The research will use a process known as genomic analysis to identify abnormal changes in the genetic make-up (DNA) of the cancer. The clinical trial is part of the ‘precision medicine’ initiative at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, which aims to tailor or ‘personalize’ cancer treatment for patients.
The study will use directed sequencing of a set of known cancer genes to identify alterations in the DNA that have been acquired in each individual patient’s cancer sample. “The goal is to pinpoint what drives the growth of the cancer cells, identify these changes and patterns and explore therapies that specifically target these abnormalities to attack the cancer. This technology coupled with the expertise of our investigators enables us to move beyond a ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to treatment options for our patients,” says the trial’s lead investigator Shridar Ganesan, MD, PhD, associate director for translational science at the Cancer Institute and associate professor of medicine and pharmacology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Once abnormalities are identified, the findings are discussed at a weekly meeting of the Cancer Institute’s Precision Medicine Molecular Tumor Board, which is comprised of clinicians, basic scientists, systems biologists, pathologists and those with computational expertise. The team can then decide quickly if the sequencing results suggest new therapy options, which could include treatment with a drug already approved to treat other cancers or diseases or treatment with a new drug that is being tested as part of another clinical trial.
“The multi-disciplinary expertise needed for such an initiative is available at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, as New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. And with the participation of our Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals from Atlantic Health System in this trial, we now have a greater ability to reach more patients across the state who can benefit from this research,” notes Cancer Institute Director Robert S. DiPaola, MD.
Within Atlantic Health System, patients will be referred from Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center and Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center.
“We believe the future of cancer therapy is going to be treatment selection – based on a precise and detailed genetic understanding of each patient’s cancer,” says Eric Whitman, MD, medical director of the Carol G. Simon Cancer Centers at Morristown Medical Center and Overlook Medical Center. “We are excited to be part of this exciting trial that will enable us to tailor our treatments to specific targets; giving our Carol G. Simon Cancer Center patients access to the best and most appropriate therapies.” Study participants will have blood taken from a vein in their arm for examination. They also will be asked to give permission for any tumor tissue taken from their cancer (through a previous biopsy or surgery) to be examined in the study.
Individuals one-year old or older who have been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer or a cancer that is no longer responding to standard treatment are eligible to participate, though other criteria also must be met. The study is offered through the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Oncology Group (CINJOG), which is comprised of physicians throughout New Jersey from the Cancer Institute network of hospitals. For additional information on how to participate, individuals should call 732-235-8675.
Clinical trials and research studies underway at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey explore diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer, as well as management of cancer symptoms. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey currently enrolls more than 1,200 patients in clinical trials each year, including approximately 17 percent of all new adult cancer patients and approximately 70 percent of all pediatric cancer patients. That compares with fewer than five percent of all adult cancer patients enrolled nationwide. As New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Cancer Institute offers patients access to treatment options not available at other institutions within the state.
About Rutgers Cancer Institute of New JerseyRutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (www.cinj.org) is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. As part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey is dedicated to improving the detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer, and to serving as an education resource for cancer prevention. Physician-scientists at the Cancer Institute engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. To make a tax-deductible gift to support the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, call 848-932-3637 or visit www.cinj.org/giving. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheCINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides the highest quality cancer care and rapid dissemination of important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. System Partner: Meridian Health (Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, Southern Ocean Medical Center, and Bayshore Community Hospital). Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center and Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center. Affiliate Hospitals: JFK Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (CINJ Hamilton), and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.
About Atlantic Health System Atlantic Health System (www.atlantichealth.org), headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, is one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey. It includes Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ; Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ; Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ; Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ; and Goryeb Children's Hospital in Morristown, NJ, as well as Atlantic Rehabilitation, and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. It also includes its subsidiary, Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. Atlantic Health System comprises 1,599 licensed beds, more than 14,000 employees and more than 4,000 physicians. Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University; a Major Clinical Affiliate of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; part of Atlantic Accountable Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the nation, and is a member of AllSpire Health Partners.
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