Project aims to improve AML patients’ access to clinical trials
Grant to fund expanded access to molecular testing, clinician awareness
A new research project aims to make it easier for people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to participate in clinical trials.
The project is led by Tara Lin, MD, director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center’s adult leukemia program, and funded by a nearly $680,000 award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the National Institutes of Health.
“With this grant, our goal is to strengthen opportunities for patients across the region to take part in trials that could improve survival and quality of life,” Lin said in a center press release.
AML is an aggressive form of blood cancer caused when immature cells grow uncontrolled in the bone marrow and blood. AML, the most common form of leukemia in adults, usually affects people older than 60, but more than 500 children in the U.S. every year are diagnosed with the condition. AML is often difficult to treat, and only about a third of people with the disease will still be alive five years after diagnosis.
The last decade has seen major advances in research and care for AML, with more than a dozen new treatments approved for use in the U.S. But while new therapies hold great promise to improve outcomes for AML patients, there isn’t much data to guide how best to use them. For example, it’s unclear whether certain treatments are more effective when used in combination or given one after the other, and whether some treatments are better suited for specific subgroups of AML patients.
Addressing the biggest obstacles
Clinical trials — rigorously designed studies testing therapies in people — will be needed to gather data on how best to use new AML treatments. For these trials to be conducted successfully, it’s critical that AML patients are willing and able to participate.
“Clinical trials are the only way to answer these questions,” Lin said. “However, most AML patients are not enrolled in a clinical trial.”
The new project aims to address two major obstacles to clinical trial participation for AML patients. First, it aims to improve access to rapid molecular testing that can be used to diagnose AML and identify disease subtypes. Second, the project seeks to raise awareness about clinical trials among clinicians caring for AML patients.
The project will use the NCI’s MyeloMATCH program, which provides centralized testing and trial assignment, while building in-house rapid molecular testing to expand access for more patients.
“Our goal is to make sure every patient can access the latest treatments available through clinical trials,” Lin said.
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