Cancer Center

New Era of Clinical Research Provides Hope for Cancer Patients, Families

June 2008 Cancer Center News

Clinical Research Coordinators moved into their new offices at the Clinical Cancer Center one day before the dedication. Having office space conveniently located near the clinicians is a luxury they did not have in the past.

“Ladies and gentleman, one thing, and one thing only, cures cancer. And that’s research, research and research,” said T. Michael Bolger, JD, President and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin, in his speech at the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center dedication last month.

“We are committed to uncovering the secrets of cancer,” he said.

Reflecting the trend around the world, Medical College investigators have used basic science to discover an unprecedented amount of
valuable information in the last two decades. 
Within the Cancer Center, physicians and laboratory-based scientists work together to exploit basic science discoveries for the benefit of cancer patients.

For example, scientists within the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program helped pioneer the clinical use of donor leukocyte infusions (DLI) as cell-based immunotherapy to treat leukemia relapse after blood (hematopoietic) stem cell transplantation (HSCT). They are conducting cutting-edge research into the underlying mechanisms responsible for the antitumor effect and decreased graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This innovative research, which continues to be funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has provided direct proof of the tumor-killing benefits of cell-based immunotherapy and provided physicians, for the first time, with a tool to treat patients whose leukemia relapsed after HSCT. Novel preclinical animal models are being used to determine the mechanisms responsible for the clinical success of DLI therapy after HSCT. This research already has led to the identification of regulatory T cells as a key factor in decreasing GVHD and has stimulated work to enhance the beneficial effects of regulatory T cells in patients receiving HSCT.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Task Force II report on clinical research, “Academic medicine has played a central role in partnering with NIH and industry to name the 21st century the ‘Century of Biology.’ Now academic medicine must equally vigorously assert its leadership in translating that biology into better health for all.”

This quote adorns a wall of the Hope Clinic on the second floor of the Clinical Cancer Center.

To that end, the more than 200 Medical College physicians and scientists committed to cancer treatment and research are moving into a new era where facilities and technology co-mingle to create a translational and clinical study environment that provides hope for the future of cancer patients. 

Currently, there are 124 NCI-sponsored clinical trials for cancer underway at the Clinical Cancer Center, making Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin the area’s leader. These trials offer state-of-the-art care and represent the best possible cancer treatment available. Clinical trials are taking place elsewhere in southeastern Wisconsin; however, the hospital with the next highest number is conducting only 38 trials.

In fact, Froedtert & the Medical College has also been recognized nationally for its availability of advanced cancer clinical trials. Of its 250-member institutions, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group ranked the College fourth, ahead of several other widely known institutions, for the enrollment of patients in radiation therapy cancer clinical trials in 2006.

Whereas the Medical College Cancer Center is a matrix center made up of scientific and clinical activities surrounding cancer care at the College’s teaching affiliates, the Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert provides a physical location for centralization of research activities. Clinical researchers and caregivers, as well as Cancer Center administrative offices, once housed in eight different buildings around the medical complex are now located in one central area. All brought with them the technology, such as leading-edge imaging equipment and radiation therapy units, needed to provide the latest treatment options to their patients. With clinical cancer investigators and advanced treatment technology now conveniently located under one roof, closer collaboration is imminent.

“One of the things that distinguishes us as an academic medical center is our commitment to research, and in this marvelous new facility, we will be providing hope as well as a better life for those living with cancer,” Mr. Bolger said.

Cancer Center Advisory Board members assist College President and CEO T. Michael Bolger, JD, with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon at the Clinical Cancer Center dedication on May 14. Pictured left to right are: (Standing) Scott Gray, Missy Levit, Diane Zore, Deanna Braeger, Michael Falbo, Julie Baumgarten, Bill Steinberg, Art Smith, Michael Mahoney, Vince Martin. (Sitting) Ginny Bolger, Marina Krejci, Sue Northey, T. Michael Bolger, Arlene Wilson, Christy Foote.