St. Luke's Medical Center First in Houston to Investigate Potential New Treatment for Gastric and Esophageal Cancers
St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center is the first site in Houston selected for a Phase 2 clinical study of the bispecific antibody, MM-111, for the treatment of advanced gastric, esophageal and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers.
The American Cancer Society estimates 21,600 new cases of gastric cancer in 2013, and 17,990 cases of esophageal cancer. GEJ cancer occurs when cancer cells form where the esophagus is connected to the stomach. Presently in the United States, of all patients with stomach cancer including gastric, esophageal and gastric esophageal junction cancers, only about 20-25 percent are cured.
According to Luis H. Camacho, MD, Medical Director and Research Director for the Cancer Center at St. Luke’s and the lead investigator at St. Luke’s on the clinical study, the MM-111 antibody is designed to anchor to specific cell surface receptors that trigger tumor growth. By blocking the ability of a tumor cell to receive growth signals from specific proteins, a tumor’s ability to thrive is repressed.
“The primary goal of this phase of the clinical investigation is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MM-111 in patients with gastric, esophageal and GEJ cancers,” said Dr. Camacho. “We want to build on early results that indicate MM-111’s potential to delay tumor growth and restore sensitivity to standard of care treatments in these aggressive cancers.”
St. Luke’s is one of 60 sites expected to participate in this international multi-center research trial. Individuals interested in learning more about the MM-111 clinical trial can call 832-355-7226 or email ccr@stlukeshealth.org.
