Florida Hospital Cancer Institute Provides New Hope for Women

Published: 
February 13, 2007

Florida Hospital Cancer Institute Provides New Hope for Women with Cervical Cancer

 

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 13, 2007 - Florida Hospital Cancer Institute (FHCI) is enrolling women with cervical cancer in a new clinical trial to determine if adding the investigational agent, Tirapazamine, to standard chemotherapy and radiation, will help patients with cervical cancer.

Commonly, patients with cancer have lower than normal oxygen concentrations (called hypoxia) in the body tissues, including in the cancer cells. Cancer cells that have low oxygen levels often become resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy drugs, making the disease more difficult to treat.  Tirapazamine kills these cancer cells that are poorly oxygenated and is not active against the cells with normal oxygen concentrations.  Because this process results in the elimination of the cancer cells that are resistant to treatment, the use of tirapazamine with standard anticancer chemotherapy drugs and/or radiation therapy may be effective.

In the United States, approximately 14,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. More than 3,900 women die in the U.S. each year from this disease.  Cervical cancer is preventable and curable if detected early. Important strategies to reduce the risk of cervical cancer include screening through the use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test and human papillomavirus (HPV) tests.

Neil Finkler, MD, Gynecological Oncologist at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is the primary investigator on this clinical trial.  "This trial will evaluate a new investigational drug in combination with standard therapy.  In previous phases of this trial, demonstrated marked improvements in cure rates and response rates," said Dr. Finkler.

Hospitals, physicians, and patients participate in clinical trials, which are FDA-regulated research studies that investigate new options for the treatment and management of cancer. In 2005, FHCI enrolled more than 300 patients in clinical trials, enabling these patients to receive cutting-edge cancer therapies. 

For more information, call Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

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