CAMC Institute - Research

Center for Cancer Research

The Center for Cancer Research is primarily involved in cooperative group treatment and prevention studies sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. Current affiliations include: the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Pediatric Oncology Group (POG), and the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG). Additionally, the Cancer Research Center is now opening new pharmaceutical sponsored trials of interest to their patients.

The Cancer Research Center maintains nearly ninety protocols for their patients at the center, opening new protocols for cancer patients each month. More than two hundred twenty-five patients are currently enrolled in cancer research trials at CAMC. Referrals to the research center come from private physicians, oncologists, surgeons, urologists, and from the patients themselves. The Center works closely with the David Lee Cancer Center, which is part of Charleston Area Medical Center.

Participation in research is a requirement of the American College of Surgeons. The College provides standards for cancer programs, such as the one established at Charleston Area Medical Center, assuring patients and their families of optimal care. The goal of the Cancer Research Center is to provide opportunities to participate in research trials for a variety of cancers to patients in this area, allowing patients of the Kanawha Valley opportunities to participate in research trials here at CAMC. Most important to the patients and their families, having these trials available here at CAMC will allow patients of this area to participate in research and at the same time remain close to family and friends.

The Center for Cancer Research recently participated in a nationally recognized study that determined the link between tamoxifen and breast cancer prevention. The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial, sponsored by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, with support from the National Cancer Institute, showed a 45 percent reduction in breast cancer incidence among the high-risk participants who took Zeneca Pharmaceuticals' tamoxifen, a drug used for the past two decades to treat breast cancer.

While the first breast cancer prevention trial is coming to a close nationally, a new NSABP prevention trial is now enrolling patients. The STAR study will test the benefit of tamoxifen vs. raloxifene in the prevention of breast cancer in women at high risk of developing this cancer.

The Cancer Research Center opened the SELECT trial in August 2001. This trial will study the effects of Vitamin E and Selenium in reducing the incidence of prostate cancer in men. One hundred men from the Kanawha Valley will be randomized to participate in the nationwide study. The trial, sponsored by the Southwest Oncology Group, will provide free physician follow-up, and free PSA testing for these participants over a twelve-year period.

The B-32 trial, an NSABP trial that compares sentinel node resection to conventional axillary dissection in clinically node-negative breast cancer patients, is also currently underway. Seven surgeons at CAMC are currently participating in this surgical protocol for women. The primary aims of this trial are to determine if sentinel node resection alone is equivalent to sentinel node resection plus standard axillary dissection in the long-term control of the regional disease, as well as their overall survival of the disease.

Another primary aim of the B-32 breast cancer study to determine if the morbidity associated with the sentinel node resection is significantly less than that associated with sentinel node resection followed by conventional axillary dissection. It is hoped that through this nationwide study the standard of care for women facing breast cancer surgery may not always require an axillary dissection, therefore reducing the time necessary for some women to recover from their breast cancer surgeries.

The Cancer Research Center welcomes referrals from all disciplines, and looks forward to serving well the members of the Kanawha Valley. Contact the Center at 304-388-9936, or 304-388-9940 for more information or email

The top ten reported cancers in the state, as well as at Charleston Area Medical Center are:

Lung	Corpus Uteri
Breast	Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Colorectal	Ovary
Prostate	Cervix Uteri
Urinary/Bladder	Melanoma

Targeted areas of cancer research are:

Breast
Gastrointestinal, including colon and pancreatic
Head and neck
Multiple myeloma
Lymphoma
Hodgkin's disease
Leukemia
Brain
Lung
Sarcoma
Prostate
Urothelium
Melanoma
Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Investigators
Steven Jubelirer, MD
Michael Covelli, MD
David Ranson, MD
Ho-Huang Chang, MD
Lewis Whaley, MD
Garry Brown, MD
James Frame, MD
Arvind Shah, MD
Roberto Kusminsky, MD
David Gordon, MD
Michael Harmon, MD
Kshama Jawalekar, MD
Justin Cohen, MD
Narender Jogenpally, MD
Willis Trammell, MD
Todd Witsberger, MD

Staff

Karen Shirey, RN, BSN
Augusta Kosowicz, PA-C
Donna Pauley, Research Assistant
Jerri Walker, Research Assistant
Lori Robinson, Research Assistant

Contact the Cancer Center at 304-388-9936, or 304-388-9940 or e-mail for more information.