Clinical Trials Offer Hope for GIST Patients
The Life Raft Group Clinic Trials Database currently lists 31 trials that are open that are or could be of interest to GIST patients. Many of the most interesting of these new drugs are [...]
In the beginning…Patient-reported outcomes
Patient-reported outcomes is a buzz-phase that we hear a lot these days. At the Life Raft Group, I was recently in a meeting where we were discussing patient-reported outcomes, the LRG registry and patient-powered [...]
Ignyta Announces Results for Potential New Cancer Treatment
Dr. Alexander Drilon of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center recently reported at AACR on a potential new cancer treatment, Entrectinib, a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor developed to target tumors carrying NTRK1, NTRK2, NTRK3, [...]
14th NIH Pediatric and Wildtype GIST Clinic Convenes
If you have a mutation of any of the SDH subunits (a,b,c, or d), the next important question to ask is whether or not it is a germline mutation. (So far, data has indicated that 80% of SDH-deficient tumors are germline). The term "germline" means that the mutation is present in every cell of your body. Germline mutations are hereditary, and can be passed on to your children. For this reason, genetic testing and counseling could be informative for parents, siblings and other family members. If a family member tests positive for the mutation, this does not mean that they will get GIST.
ASCO Recommends Expanding Clinical Trials to Include More Older Adults
A recent call to action from ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology recommends expanding clinical trials to include more older adults. Given that greater than 60% of cancers in [...]
The GIST Cancer Journal has Arrived
The 6th issue of the GIST Cancer Journal, official journal of the LRG and the first academic journal devoted solely to GIST is now available
Life Raft Group at CTTI: Rethinking Clinical Trials
This year, the Life Raft Group joined the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) to help make clinical trials more efficient and productive and to help accelerate new treatments. CTTI is a consortium that brings [...]
Clinical Trial Data Sharing: LRG’s Model for Collaboration
A recent report from the Institute of Medicine outlines the advantages of data sharing from clinical trials. The authors state that data sharing can lead to the discovery of new treatment modalities as well [...]
Clinical Trials – Reforms Discussed to Meet Patient Needs
The conversations about improving clinical trials to better meet the needs of cancer patients continue, with two noteworthy arguments set forth recently. Both arguments address the need to rethink the design of clinical trials.
Clinical Trials and the Search for Greater Efficiency
Clinical trials are a key step in the development and approval of new drugs to treat cancer and often a lifeline to patients seeking options when other treatments have failed.