Tomorrow’s Cancer Treatment Today

You don’t have to travel far to participate in clinical trials, which offer the latest treatment options for cancer. Cancer treatment is constantly evolving, and CHI Saint Joseph Health is committed to offering patients access to the latest clinical trials, right here in central and eastern Kentucky.

“Some people may not think of community hospitals as places that have research, but they do,” said Jennifer Kohlman, RN, CCRP, clinical research site supervisor, CommonSpirit Health Research Institute, CHI Saint Joseph Health – Cancer Care Center at Saint Joseph East. “CHI Saint Joseph Health offers clinical trials at multiple locations, and many trials are offered in partnership with the National Cancer Institute.”

CHI Saint Joseph Health is part of the greater CHI Institute for Research and Innovation, and one of only 35 recipients of an NCI Community Oncology Research Program grant (NCORP). This means patients have access to dozens of national studies that may lead to advances in medications and other treatment therapies.

One benefit of participating in clinical trials is that they could save a patient’s life with a new, groundbreaking therapy. Trials of standard treatments are also important because they can help medical researchers find ways to make them more effective or easier for patients to tolerate.

“Participating in research as part of a clinical trial doesn’t take away the standard of care,” Kohlman said. “The trial is looking at the impact of additional therapies — is that combination better than the standard treatment patients continue to receive?”

Another plus is that patients in clinical trials get even more personalized care, with researchers following their progress along with their oncologists.

“In my opinion, participation in a clinical trial improves patient care because you always have extra eyes on your case,” Kohlman said.

Eligibility for a clinical trial depends on many things, such as:

• The types of trials underway
• The type of cancer you have
• The stage of the cancer
• What treatments you have already had
• Your family history of cancer or other risk factors

Several cancer clinical trials at CHI Saint Joseph Health are underway, including:

• A breast cancer trial that aims to make endocrine therapy after cancer treatment easier to manage
• An immunotherapy trial for patients with lung cancer that can’t be treated with surgery
• EA8191/INDICATE, a trial to treat recurrent prostate cancer
• Freenome, a study that is designing a blood test for early detection and possible prevention of several cancer types, including breast, esophageal, liver, lung, prostate and thyroid

If you or a family member is newly diagnosed with cancer, ask your provider about clinical trials that may be a good fit. Learn more about CHI Saint Joseph Health clinical trials.