LANSING, MI – The Sparrow Herbert-Herman Cancer Center has enrolled the first patient in the world in a clinical trial testing a new drug for cancer patients with a specific genomic mutation.
The trial, sponsored by Bayer Pharmaceutical, is testing the efficacy and toxicity of a drug called larotrectinib. The goal is to offset the mutation, called NTRK fusion, which is found in multiple pediatric and adult cancers, including thyroid and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Sparrow researchers will study the daily pill's impact on patient’s quality of life, response to treatment, and overall survival in the real life clinical settings.
“It puts the Sparrow Cancer Center and Sparrow on the world map because the information about this is disseminated to all participating institutions in the U.S.," said Gordon Srkalovic, M.D., Ph.D, Director of Clinical Trials at the Sparrow Herbert-Herman Cancer Center. "This really puts us in the same sentence as large institutions."
Patients can contact their oncologist about enrolling in the trial.
The Sparrow Herbert-Herman Cancer Center is a leader in clinical trials nationwide, with over 40 currently active trials. For more information, go to sparrow.org/cancer.
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Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, Carson City, Charlotte, Ionia and St. Johns, as well as Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group, the Michigan Athletic Club, and AL!VE. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan Medicine through the Sparrow Children’s Center and with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.