Cancer Research
Your doctors have more ways than ever to help you fight cancer. Advances in cancer care are possible because of a unique partnership between patients like you and researchers who are working to develop better therapies to help patients live longer, healthier lives. This partnership is the foundation of clinical trials.
Part of what makes the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center a leader in care is its expansive research program, which includes a wide spectrum of innovative clinical trials. Our cancer researchers have already made significant advances in treatment, thanks to many patients who were willing to participate in these programs.
People with certain types of lymphoma now have a better option with Bexxar, a drug developed by Mark Kaminski, M.D., director of the U-M Leukemia/Lymphoma Program and the Multidisciplinary Lymphoma Clinic. Developed over the span of many years – first in U-M labs and then in clinical trials – Bexxar was shown in one recent study to shrink tumors in 95 percent of patients with advanced-stage follicular lymphoma.
With the recent discovery of cancer stem cells, we now have tremendous possibilities for developing individualized therapies to more effectively treat cancer. U-M researchers were the first to discover in breast cancer that only these few stem cells are capable of forming new tumor cells, and work continues in all cancer types. Clinical trials will test whether drugs can target these cancer stem cells and lead to more successful treatments with fewer side effects. Clinical trials will be vital to ensuring the full potential of this discovery is realized.
Ultimately, you have to decide whether participating in a clinical trial is right for you. We encourage you to use this site to learn about the potential benefits and risks associated with participating as well as the opportunities that are available to you. We have a listing of our clinical trials here in the Engage Study Database.
To learn more about the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center and the services it provides, please visit www.cancer.med.umich.edu/ or call the Cancer AnswerLine at 1-800-865-1125. The Cancer AnswerLine is staffed by experienced oncology nurses who can assist you in finding clinical trials that may be right for you.
