Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) has been approved to conduct several new clinical trials to assist their cancer patients. Current trials underway are to treat various types of breast cancer, metastatic pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, for people who meet certain requirements. PMC Medical Oncologist/Hematologist and Vice President of Oncology Services Christopher Croot, MD, has been a driving force in bringing new programs to the Lawson Cancer Center.

“We want our patients to have access to the next generation of drugs. Our patients deserve cutting edge medicine and we are bringing that to Pikeville,” said Dr. Croot. “These clinical trials open up an avenue to move forward with cancer care.”

Simply put, clinical trials are research studies that involve people, and are the final step in the long process of developing a new drug. Participation in the program is not mandatory, and patients who meet the criteria are given a choice of whether or not they choose to participate.

Because Pikeville Medical Center has a well-equipped radiology department, laboratory and pharmacy and has a sufficient number of highly trained personnel, each drug company authorized and approved PMC as a clinical trial site for various, next-generation cancer fighting drugs. PMC was also selected due to meeting specific criteria, which includes a sufficient number of patients in PMC’s service area with these types of cancers.

Until now, when a patient’s cancer did not respond to traditional therapy and he/she wanted to participate in a clinical trial, it involved traveling to another facility, sometimes hundreds of miles away. But, now that will change for many patients.

“We want to keep our patients close to home,” said PMC Research Coordinator Leandra Johnson. “Our patients deserve the same opportunities as patients at national research institutions.”

With the implementation of clinical trials for cancer care at PMC, this service can be offered, not only to PMC patients but to eligible patients from all over the region.

“Cancer treatments are constantly changing, and we are always looking for new treatments that bring the best result to our patients or that will give patients a better fighting chance when other treatments have failed them,” said Lawson Cancer Center Director Vickie Justus. “Our Research Coordinator is working hard, on behalf of our cancer patients, to get those who qualify and are in need, into one of our trials. These are very exciting times for the Lawson Cancer Center and for many of our cancer patients.”

Two clinical trials are set to enroll patients before the end of the year, while the remaining two will begin enrollment in early 2020. PMC is continually looking for additional clinical trials to bring new cutting-edge treatments to cancer patients of central Appalachia.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call 606-218-2212.