Searching for answers to cancer’s origins and ways to prevent, diagnose and treat it starts with research. When a research project on breast cancer advances to a certain stage it enters the clinical trial phase. Clinical trials allow the idea developed through research to be safely tested and proven effective in people. This phase is often called translational because it brings the work from the research lab directly to the patient.
As a Nationally Accredited Breast Center, breast cancer research is a high priority at Stony Brook Cancer Center. With over 25 actively accruing breast cancer trials open at any one time, most patients have the opportunity to participate in a study that will offer them novel therapies, less toxicity or help in our understanding of the disease. Current trials include:
- novel vaccines
- new antibody drug conjugates designed to more precisely target tumor cells
- immune modulators that enhance immune responses against tumors
- molecularly targeted therapies that specifically attack mutations that occur in breast cancer cells
Additionally, several trials are examining better ways to monitor for disease recurrence or response to therapy to optimize treatment regimens for our patients. There are also trials looking at new strategies for prevention in women at high risk of developing breast cancer, as well as blood and tissue studies designed to better understand mechanisms of resistance.
Many of the trials include active collaborations between our clinicians and basic science researchers or through our affiliation with the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), a clinical trials cooperative group supported by the National Cancer Institute.
"Data shows that patients who participate in clinical trials generally do better, live longer, and are vital in the fight against breast cancer,” said Alison Stopeck, MD, Chief, Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Associate Director, Clinical and Translational Research, Stony Brook Cancer Center. “Without patients willing to participate in well-designed and controlled clinical trials, there truly would be no new therapies, no optimization of our current therapies, and no hope for a cure.”