As the first site in the world to enroll patients in two new clinical trials for prostate cancer staging and screening, Hoag is poised to redefine the standard of care worldwide thanks to support from philanthropy.
Hoag is the first in the world to enroll patients in two new clinical trials for prostate cancer staging and treatment. One trial focuses on molecular imaging and the other on molecular therapy; both are supported in part by philanthropy and poised to redefine the standard of care for patients with prostate cancer worldwide.
The key to molecular imaging and therapy is designing molecules that bind to those found within and on the surface of specific types of cancer. Particles emitting varying levels of radiation can then be hitched to these specially designed molecules and, when infused into a patient’s bloodstream, used to image or treat cancer by precisely targeting cancer cells without affecting surrounding healthy tissue.
Dr. Gary Ulaner, James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in Molecular Imaging and Therapy and director of Hoag’s Molecular Imaging and Therapy Program, said of the new molecular imaging trial, “Our findings could revolutionize how patients with favorable intermediate prostate cancer are imaged, treated, and managed after treatment. As tens of thousands of men are diagnosed with favorable intermediate prostate cancer each year, this will be a highly impactful trial.”
The molecular therapy trial provides men with metastatic prostate cancer access to prostate-specific membrane (PSMA)-targeted therapy prior to chemotherapy. Currently, PSMA-targeted therapy is only available after chemotherapy. However, phase III clinical trials have shown that PSMA-targeted therapies are more effective and less toxic than chemotherapies for prostate cancer. “We aim to enhance treatment options for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, while avoiding the side effects of chemotherapy,” said Dr. Ulaner.
As the first site in the world to open and enroll patients on these trials, Hoag is offering our community unique access to leading-edge prostate cancer imaging and therapy options that otherwise wouldn’t be available. Thanks to donor support for endowed chairs and clinical research, Hoag offers physician-scientists like Dr. Ulaner the resources, facilities, and opportunities to not only practice medicine but move it forward.
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