Bon Secours St. Francis Health System to participate in NCI-MATCH precision medicine cancer trial

St. Francis Cancer Center is first facility in SC to offer new clinical trial

GREENVILLE, SC – Bon Secours St. Francis Health System is the first health system in South Carolina to participate in the newly opened ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group’s National Cancer Institute-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice phase-II precision medicine trial. The new trial is the largest, most scientifically rigorous precision medicine trial in cancer research to date.

Precision medicine refers to the tailoring of treatment based on the characteristics of each individual. As the largest precision medicine trial for cancer to date, NCI-MATCH seeks to determine whether matching certain drugs or drug combinations to people whose tumors have specific gene abnormalities will effectively treat their cancer, regardless of their cancer type. Treatment for this trial focuses on molecular abnormalities of patient tumors instead of the organ sites of the cancer.

Under the leadership of Robert D. Siegel, MD, oncology program director at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, the physicians at Bon Secours St. Francis will be able to enroll patients in the trial. NCI-MATCH, known to physicians as EAY131, will match patients with one of 22 treatments to test the use of each specific drug or drug combination targeted to a particular gene abnormality. The trial is open now with ten treatments, and an additional 12 treatments will be added to the trial within the next several months.

“The physicians at the St. Francis Cancer Center are proud to be able to offer the largest and most scientifically rigorous precision medicine trial to our patients,” said Dr. Robert Siegel. “Precision medicine has made great strides in the fight against cancer and this new trial will help determine whether treating cancers according to their molecular abnormalities will show evidence of effectiveness. The St. Francis Cancer Center is proud to offer the latest clinical trials to our patients and take this next step to fight cancer with faith, hope and expertise.”

For more information about the St. Francis Cancer Center, visit http://stfrancis cancercenter.org/

About Bon Secours St. Francis Health System

The Mission Statement of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System is to bring compassion to healthcare and to be “Good Help to Those in Need®,” especially those who are poor and dying. As a system of caregivers, we commit ourselves to help bring people and communities to health and wholeness through the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.

With innovative technology, we heal the body. With faith, we mend the spirit. We draw from a past that’s rich in the healing tradition, while strengthening the future through the guidance and support of the Ministry of Bon Secours and Bon Secours Health System, Inc. To learn more, visit www.stfrancishealth.org.