To celebrate International Clinical Trials Day on May 20, we recognize the work of our clinicians leading clinical trial studies at Grand River Hospital (GRH). A clinical trial is a type of research study that helps to discover new ways to diagnose, treat, manage or prevent a disease. Through the hospital’s Office of Research and Innovation, GRH clinicians are currently participating in over 20 clinical trials in our clinical programs, helping GRH to advance exceptional care.
Dr. Nadia Califaretti is a medical oncologist at Grand River Hospital’s Regional Cancer Centre (GRRCC). In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Califaretti is the physician-lead for our cancer clinical trials, work that is opening the door to new treatments for our cancer patients.
For International Clinical Trials Day, Dr. Califaretti talks about our clinical trial work in cancer at GRH, why it’s important for us to conduct this work, and the increasing importance of clinical trials in community hospitals like ours.
Tell me about your role at GRH
In my primary role, I am a medical oncologist who sees patients full-time with a focus on breast, lung, and gynecological cancers. I also have a secondary role as the physician lead for clinical trials at GRH. In this role, I provide a physician’s point of view to the clinical trial work being done within the oncology department. I also work with the many clinicians who take on the role of local principal investigator in national or international clinical trials at GRRCC such as pharmacists and nurses.
How many cancer clinical trials are we currently participating in?
We are currently recruiting patients for 16 clinical trials in cancer care. These trials address different types of cancer including breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary cancers (prostate or kidney cancers, for example), as well as hematological malignancies like leukemia or lymphoma, and different stages of the cancer. Some of the trials test new supportive therapies – therapies that protect the patient from toxicity of chemotherapy – in multiple tumour types.
All of our clinical trials studies are important, but can you pick one that is most exciting to you?
In advanced cancer, tumours often develop resistance to a treatment, in which case several therapies are used in sequence, one after the other. One of our most interesting current trials is TreatER+ight (pronounced ‘treat her right’). This is a c-Canada study looking at different treatments used for advanced breast cancer. It will examine the order in which systemic therapies, meaning drugs that spread throughout the body to treat cancer cells wherever they may be, are offered to patients with metastatic breast cancer, and how well therapies work when they are given in different order to different patients.
This study is also important because it is collecting so much data on the quality of life and care of women with advanced breast cancer in the “real world”. Unlike a lot of clinical trials that have extremely specific criteria for participation, this study looks at hundreds of women of all different ages, races, and with different health issues. We are examining side effects to a greater degree in women, who are not well represented in many clinical trials.
Why is it important to do clinical trials at GRH?
I cannot imagine a clinical practice without clinical trials, especially in cancer care. With cancer, there are so many unanswered questions that we cannot depend on research coming out of large centres alone. We all need to engage in the work. At GRH we have a drive to meet that need. By participating in trials locally, we can offer our patients new therapies closer to home. This opens doors to the examination and introduction of new treatments long before these therapies become widely adopted.
How have clinical trials been received by patients at GRH?
We receive quite a positive reaction from patients with our clinical trials work because they like being able to get this innovative care in their community. We no longer have some of the old biases of clinical trials treating patients like passive participants in research. Patients are open minded and understand this work is an important part of moving the treatment forward.
What do you want to see for the future of clinical trials at GRH?
I would like to see our clinical trial work prioritized as a goal for the hospital. I would also like to increase the awareness of clinical trials among the Waterloo-Wellington community. Not many patients are aware we conduct trials at this hospital and that they could potentially benefit from this work.
If you are a patient or family member interested in learning about clinical trial opportunities at GRH click here for more information.