For information on our Research or Clinical Trials, contact St. Luke’s Cancer Research Program Office at 832-355-6777

OUR RESEARCH
The Philip A. Salem Chair in Cancer Research was  established with $2.5 million in philanthropic gifts.  As the Director of Cancer Research at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Dr. Salem presently holds the chair and upon his retirement, he will assist St. Luke’s in recruiting his successor.  Dr.  Salem has been the Director of Cancer Research at the Cancer Center at St. Luke’s since 1992.  During this time he was
responsible for the hospital actively participating in the Texas Community Oncology Network, a cooperative research program with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

More than 30 cancer research treatment protocols were available to St. Luke’s physicians for their patients from 1992-1999.  The first and second National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel historic breast cancer prevention trials were made available to St. Luke’s patients from 1995-2006 through Dr. Salem’s guidance and leadership.   He was the recipient of a $200,000 grant from the Dallas chapter of the American Cancer Society in 2008 to support cancer research and mentor young research investigators.  His grant has funded a full time cancer research nurse for the Cancer Center at St. Luke’s as well as clinical research.

CLINICAL TRIALS

The Cancer Center at St. Luke’s offers patients access to frontline cancer research by providing clinical trials led by physician investigators specializing in oncology. St. Luke’s also offers cancer control in the form of cancer screening for individuals at high risk for cancer. Investigators offer national clinical studies, as well as original hospital-based studies. Contact St. Luke’s Cancer Research Program Office at 832-355-6777 to inquire about any of the clinical trials below.

Clinical Trials Now Available at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital:

Breast Cancer Prevention

• SLEH 2006 Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene in the Prevention of Breast Cancer (STAR – NSABP). Contact Sopar Seributra, RN, Nurse Coordinator for STAR Study at 832-355-6777. PI – Philip A. Salem, MD, et al.  (Follow-up only.  Closed to accrual.)

Colorectal Cancer

• SLEH 3103 -- NSABP P-5 Statin Polyps Prevention Trial in Patients with Resected Colon Cancer. PI--David A. Thompson, MD, and Susan Escudier, MD. Contact Sopar Seributra, RN, CCRP, cancer research nurse, at 832-355-6777. Open to accrual.
• 11-06-08-181 Phase II, Randomized, Double Blind Comparison of CASAD vs. Placebo for the Treatment and Prevention of Diarrhea in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Open to accrual.
  

CyberKnife®

• ReCKord CyberKnife® Registry Protocol.  SLEH 2954.  PI – L. Steven Carpenter, M.D.

Gynecologic Oncology

• A Multi-Center Prospective Clinical Study to Evaluate the Performance and  Clinical Predictive Value of the Invader HPV HR Molecular Assay and Invader HPV 16/ 18 Molecular Assay for the Detection of Human Papillomavirus in Cervical Cytology Samples.  (DP0517)  PI—Matthew L. Anderson, MD.
• MicroRNAs as Prognostic and Diagnostic Targets in Gynecologic Cancers.  (H-22119)  PI – Matthew L. Anderson, MD.
• Multi-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase III Efficacy Study Comparing Phenoxodiol (Oral Dosage Form) in Combination with Carboplatin Versus Carboplatin with Placebo in Patients with Platinum-Resistant or Platinum-Refractory Late-Stage Epithelial Ovarian, Fallopian or Primary Peritoneal Cancer Following at Least Second Line Platinum Therapy.  (NV06-0039)  PI—Matthew L. Anderson, MD.
• A Phase II, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of GDC-0449 as Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Ovarian Cancer in a Second or Third Complete Remission.  (SHH4489G)  PI--Matthew L. Anderson, MD.
• Novel Prognostic Markers and Associated Outcomes in Cervix Cancer.  PI—Matthew L. Anderson. MD.
• The Role of X Chromosome Inactivation in Ovarian Cancer Pathogenesis and Treatment. (H-23229)  PI—Matthew L. Anderson, MD.
  

Lung Cancer

• International Randomized Study to Compare CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery with Surgical Resection in Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:  Lung Cancer STARTS (Stereotactic Radiotherapy Vs. Surgery) Trial. (H-25703)  At St. Lukes” PI – L. Steven Carpenter, M.D., 2009.  (to open early 2010)

Pancreas Cancer

• NLG-0405: A Phase III Study of Hyperacute-Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine in Combination with Chemotherapy and Chemoradiotherapy in Subjects with Surgically Resected Pancreatic Cancer.  PI - William Fisher, MD  (H-24846) (New Link Genetics)  Open for accrual.

• Pancreas Center Tissue Bank Specimen Collection.  PI, William Fisher, MD (H-16215) – 2005-2009 and Ongoing.

• A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study of the MEK Inhibitor GSK 1120212 Plus Gemcitabine vs. Placebo Plus Gemcitabine in Subjects with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

Prostate

• SPORE Tumor Marker Data: St. Luke’s urologists who are SPORE investigators participate in SPORE data collection and represent research excellence in prostate cancer clinical trials. St. Luke’s Cancer Registry participates in data collection.  Ongoing.

CANCER REGISTRY
The St. Luke’s Cancer Registry has a database of over 34,062 diagnosed cases since the reference date of 1992 at St. Luke’s.  The most current data reveal that the registry abstracted 2,552 cancer cases and had a 92% follow-up rate on former cancer patients.  The Registry reports statistical data to the National Cancer Data Base and the Texas Department of Health State Cancer Registry.  The statistics are used for cancer research, to monitor survival statistics and to improve the standard of care in disease recurrence.  The Cancer Registry also organizes the 12 tumor boards per month at St. Luke’s, promoting multidisciplinary care for our cancer patients.