Newsroom
Trial opens door for new kind of drug for advanced breast cancer
June 14, 2017
Hormone-based therapy has revolutionized the treatment of breast cancer, but when these therapies fail, patients often have few other options. Dr. Mark Clemons and colleagues played an important role in an international clinical trial that has opened the door for a new kind of drug for these patients. Published in The Lancet Oncology, the trial tested a drug that targets a protein called PI3K. Patients who received the drug survived an additional two months without disease progression, and a certain subset survived an additional four months without progression. Although side effects were a concern, the trial showed for the first time that PI3K could be a promising target for advanced breast cancer. The Ottawa Hospital was one of the top enrolling sites in this trial, which included more than 1,000 patients in 29 countries.
Authors: Baselga J, Im SA, Iwata H, Cortés J, De Laurentiis M, Jiang Z, Arteaga CL, Jonat W, Clemons M, Ito Y, Awada A, Chia S, Jagiełło-Gruszfeld A, Pistilli B, Tseng LM, Hurvitz S, Masuda N, Takahashi M, Vuylsteke P, Hachemi S, Dharan B, Di Tomaso E, Urban P, Massacesi C, Campone M.
Funders: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.
University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
Media Contact
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca
