Download Impacting Lives like Frank De Bortoli

Donor Impact Report
Clinical Trials 2014
Thank you
Thank you for redefining the future for Albertans facing cancer with your past gift to clinical
trials here in our province.
With your support, the Alberta Cancer Foundation has been able to invest $2,248,422
million into clinical trials here in Alberta in 2013. This investment has enabled 903 patients
to participate in nearly 80 trials this past year, helping researchers translate scientific
discovery in the lab to the bedside, so patients have access to the best cancer treatment,
new drugs, promising novel therapy, and optimism for the future.
Clinical Trials are the only way to get new drugs and other therapeutics to patients. You are
ensuring the Alberta Cancer Foundation can continue to invest in this critical, life-saving
research. Thank you.
Impacting Lives like Frank De Bortoli
You are changing lives – lives of Albertans like Frank De Bortoli.
When Frank De Bortoli was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer, he wasn’t expected
to live much longer than six months. That was in
2010.
Today, the 55-year-old enjoys spending some of his
free time refinishing two cedar trunks that his
parents brought with them to Canada from Italy. He
intends to give one to each of his two adult children.
“I consider myself
very fortunate,”
Frank De Bortoli
De Bortoli credits his survival, in part, to his
involvement in a clinical trial at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary that tested two
pharmaceutical agents given in a novel combination: a new drug, nab-Paclitaxel, plus a
drug that’s been the standard treatment for 15 years, Gemcitabine.
“It sounds hokey, but I think faith has had a lot to do with it, too,” De Bortoli says. “It
seemed like every time a problem came up something else would happen to turn it into a
positive.”
De Bortoli is one of more than 300 cancer patients at the Tom Baker who enroll in clinical
trials each year. His physician, Dr. Scot Dowden, was the site lead for an international study
that looked at the impact of giving the two chemotherapy agents in combination.
The remarkable results of that research were recently published in the New England Journal
of Medicine. “We found that the two drugs together resulted in an increased survival of 8.5
months,” Dr. Dowden says. “That may not sound like much, but that’s an average number
and many patients have survived much, much longer.” It also means that some patients will
have survived for less than 8.5 months.
“This is the first time in
history we’re seeing
some substantial
improvement in survival
in pancreatic cancer,”
Dr. Dowden says. “It’s
nice to finally see
something beneficial for
this disease.”
Cancer of the pancreas is a particularly
deadly form of the illness. The five-year
survival rate for metastatic pancreatic cancer
is just two per cent. In comparison, the fiveyear survival rate for metastatic breast
cancer is 50 per cent and for colon cancer
about 40 per cent.
Dowden points out that all the small,
incremental improvements in cancer
treatment add up. For example, 12 years ago
the average length of survival for a patient
with metastatic colon cancer was 10 months;
today it’s three years and five months.
De Bortoli is grateful for the opportunity to
participate in the research. He received 19
treatments of the experimental therapy
before the side effects became too great and he was taken off. Today he regularly receives
the standard chemo agent for pancreatic cancer, Gemcitabine.
“I consider myself very fortunate,” he says.
In Alberta in 2011, 381 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 331 died from
the disease. “This is the first time in history we’re seeing some substantial improvement in
survival in pancreatic cancer,” Dr. Dowden says. “It’s nice to finally see something beneficial
for this disease.”
Thank you for making access to clinical trials for patients like Frank De Bortoli possible.
The Transformational Return on Your Investment
Over the past few years, there has been a
deluge of discoveries generated by
researchers about the causes of cancer,
findings that likely contain a wealth of new
ways to treat the disease. At the same time,
the rate at which new drugs and other
therapeutics are reaching patients has not
improved. You are helping the Alberta
Cancer Foundation invest $10 million over
the next 5 years to enable more trials to
take place and allow more patients to
participate. More trials and increased
participation helps to speed up the pace of
development, to get more results for more
patients. With this long-term goal in mind,
your gift has helped the clinical trials units in
Alberta take the following keys steps:
 Within Alberta, 11 per cent of all cancer
patients participate in a clinical trial,
compared to the seven per cent national
average. This means patients treated in
Alberta have the best access to new ideas,
more than in any other province in Canada.
 The Clinical Trials Units at the Cross Cancer
Institute in Edmonton and the Tom Baker
Cancer Centre in Calgary, each led by a
Medical Director and an Operations
Manager, now employs more than 100
clinical trial nurses, coordinators, research
assistants and administrative staff. These
dedicated staff ensure Alberta patients on
clinical trials are treated with the utmost
are now accessing new therapy ideas than
care available, and that Alberta is able to
one year ago.
offer as many trials as possible.
 Clinicians and researchers use clinical trials
 The Cross Cancer Institute is now home to
to answer questions about treatment and
a dedicated specialized treatment ‘pod’ (Toutcomes they otherwise would be unable
pod) exclusive to patients enrolled in
to answer. In order to allow potential
clinical trials. This dedicated area has been
treatment options to reach cancer patients
instrumental in creating a collaborative
sooner, a new two-step (regional and
relationship amongst researchers and
provincial) peer-review process for
nurses and improving processes for
investigator-initiated trials was introduced
administration, resulting in better quality
at the end of 2012. The new process helps
trials and enhanced recruitment to trials.
guide investigators through bringing their
 From April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014, more
innovative idea based on local need into a
than 903 patients have been recruited to
clinical setting for testing, expediting the
clinical trials compared to 755 during the
process of investigating a new idea based
same time period in the previous year. This
on issues identified by Alberta patients’
increase means 19 per cent more patients
outcomes and side-effects.
Cancer Clinical Trials by the numbers (Report as of March 31, 2014)
Number of Trials Available
Tumour Site*
Edmonton
Calgary
Total
-
11
11
12
6
18
-
4
4
Gastrointestinal
10
11
21
Genitourinary
14
17
31
Gynecological
5
19
24
Head & Neck
8
5
13
Hematology
17
26
43
Lung
8
8
16
Melanoma
6
-
6
Neuro
-
13
13
Oncologic Imaging
8
-
8
Palliative
5
-
5
Pediatric Radiation Oncology
1
-
1
Phase 1
11
1
12
Radiation Therapy
13
1
14
Sarcoma
1
2
3
Supportive Care
-
4
4
Symptom Control
-
1
1
119
129
248
Bone Marrow Transplant
Breast
Cutaneous
Grand Total
*National Cancer Institute of Canada and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group trials have
been broken down and included within the tumour site figures
Alberta Accruals by Trial Type:
Cooperative
Industry
In-House
Total
Cooperative
Industry
In-House
Total
Fiscal Year 2012-2013
Edmonton Calgary Total
106
78
184
253
138
497
156
24
258
409
162
755
Fiscal Year 2013-2014
Edmonton Calgary Total
98
107
205
188
185
471
137
188
432
325
373
903
Alberta is already considered a leader in
clinical trials. The Alberta Cancer
Foundation invested more than $20 million
in support of clinical trials over the past
five years, allowing more than 6000
Albertans to participate in more than 500
clinical trials across the province. But
thanks to your investment, we are able to
push for more. Together, we can generate
innovation and have a transformational
impact on people’s lives here in Alberta
and beyond.
Investing in Albertans
The Alberta Cancer Foundation has
committed to raise $10 million to support
clinical trials in the province from 2013 to
2018. Thanks to you, we are able to invest
in this transformational research and bring
innovation to Albertans faster.
You have helped the Alberta Cancer
Foundation invest $2,248,422 in 2013
toward our $10M goal.
Thank you
Types of clinical trials:
Cooperative Group Trials are trials
supported by academically–led
government and charity funded
organizations conducting studies that
originate from ideas by researchers and
clinicians. These studies contribute
tremendously to the advancement of
care, generating innovative treatments
and Alberta is proud to be recruiting
patients for these studies. The main
cooperative research groups include the
National Cancer Institute of Canada
(NCIC) and the Radiation Therapy
Oncology Group (RTOG).
Industry Trials are funded by
pharmaceutical companies. Industry
trials are investigations by the
pharmaceutical sponsors who are
seeking to demonstrate that their novel
drug is superior to the standard
treatment. These studies generally
require recruitment of hundreds or
thousands of patients in order to
demonstrate efficacy of a new
treatment.
Investigator-Initiated Trials (i.e InHouse) are driven by local researchers
to test an idea that stems from local
experience and knowledge. The Clinical
Trials Units at the Cross Cancer Institute
and Tom Baker Cancer Centre provide
the greatest support to these
investigator-initiated trials as they
require guidance for protocol
development, regulatory approvals and
trial logistics, plus they have the
greatest potential for impact for Alberta
patients. Thanks to you, investment
from the Alberta Cancer Foundation
makes these trials possible.
Thank you for making this investment
possible. You are helping provide access to
the latest treatments and therapies for the
43 Albertans every day who hear the words, “you have cancer.” You are making a
transformational impact, and you are helping us redefine the future for all Albertans facing
cancer.
Thank you for changing
Albertans’ lives.
Provincial Office
710-10123 99 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3H1
P: 1.866.412.4222
Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary
Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton
Associate Cancer Centres
Central Alberta (Red Deer), Grande
Prairie, Jack Ady Cancer Centre
(Lethbridge), Margery E. Yuill Cancer
Centre, (Medicine Hat)
Community Cancer Centres
Barrhead, Bonnyville, Bow Valley,
Camrose, Drayton Valley, Drumheller,
High River, Hinton, Lloydminster,
Fort McMurray, Peace River
For more information,
please contact:
Alberta Cancer Foundation
Ph: 1.866.412.4222
[email protected]