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When you hear the words “cancer treatment,” many think of chemotherapy.
The truth is there are many cancer treatments, such as surgery, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and more.
In addition, clinical trials are a treatment option.
Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that enable advances that can slow, manage, and treat diseases such as cancer.
For example, a new clinical trial at UT Health San Antonio is testing a treatment that trains your immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells in the same way a vaccine works to protect you from disease.
Let’s explore the new trial.
How the Clinical Trial’s Cancer Treatment Works
Cancer treatments are designed to kill cancer cells.
When those cells die, they leave behind makers that tell your body what cancer looks like.
Those markers have potential to teach your body how to find and kill cancer cells.
In the trial led by Dr. Sukeshi Arora of UT Health San Antonio, a drug known as STAR0602 works to teach your immune system how to identify cancer cells and attack them. The idea is that when other treatments have failed, this one steps in to finish the job.
“It’s the same principle behind vaccines,” Dr. Jessica Treviño Jones, a breast medical oncologist at UT Health San Antonio’s Mays Cancer Center, told Texas Public Radio. “It is engaging and training parts of a patient’s immune system to recognize and kill their cancer.”
Who Can Join the Clinical Trial
Participation in the clinical trial is limited to those who haven’t responded well to standard therapies like chemotherapy and radiation.
Those enrolled in the clinical trial will have the therapy administered intravenously and therapy is combined with a second drug that delivers chemotherapy to the cancer cells but leaves tissue behind that the therapy can target and learn from.
“We are combining them to help the immune system,” Treviño Jones told Texas Public Radio. “So the power is not just at the time we give them medicine, but in the in-between spaces.”
STAR0602 is currently in Phase II, which focuses on evaluating the therapy’s effectiveness and identifying any safety concerns, according to the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center website.
In Phase II, treatment is tested in large groups of cancer patients of the same cancer type.
For that reason, Phase II clinical trials are testing the therapy on patients with breast or colon cancer, according to Texas Public Radio.
Once the treatment passes Phase II, the trial will move onto Phase III, which “compares the new drug with standard-of-care therapy to evaluate its effectiveness” and be put up for approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Following approval, it will move into Phase IV and be evaluated for long-term side effects.
Where is the Clinical Trial Offered?
Because the therapy requires up to 72 hours of inpatient monitoring following infusions, locations are limited to designated cancer centers and hospitals equipped with proper response capabilities, according to Texas Public Radio.
Currently, there are only 32 locations spanning the US, Canada, and Europe offering the clinical trial.
Locations in the US include California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
In Texas, the treatment is only being offered at two NCI-designated cancer sites ¾ The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and UT Health Mays Cancer Center in San Antonio. Contact the study team for more info.
Located in San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center is the premiere cancer center in South Texas, offering quality cancer care for patients and their families.
Patients can go to the Mays Cancer Center website to find a specialist that fits their needs.
In addition, participants in South Texas can also receive the treatment at the new UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, according to Texas Public Radio.
Explore Clinical Trials Near You
How can you find open clinical trials to participate in?
Look to Salud America!’s clinical trial page to find a research opportunity or learn from role models who have participated in a trial, like Diana Ortiz, Yoli Day, and Leonel Rodriguez.
“Volunteers who participate in clinical trials have the potential to help themselves, and contribute to the development of new treatments for people in the future,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute of Health Promote Research at UT Health San Antonio.
Those looking for opportunities based in San Antonio can search the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio’s Find a Clinical Trial database to learn more about available clinical trials and eligibility requirements. Learn more about community outreach and engagement, too.
On a national level, visit clinicaltrials.gov to find a clinical trial near you.
By The Numbers
10
Percent
of clinical trial participants are Latinos
