2001

Buffalo, NY, Nov. 28, 2001 - The Department of Surgery's Division of Surgical Oncology at Kaleida Health's Buffalo General Hospital is seeking cancer patients to participate in a clinical trial of a new anti-tumor therapy.

Cancer patients with any type of tumor that is accessible through the skin or with assistance from imaging are eligible. Volunteers will undergo five daily injections of the experimental compound Monday through Friday for two weeks. The compound is injected directly into the tumor. Patients will be evaluated after two weeks of treatment and may be eligible for two more weeks of treatment.

The medication is a compound called Granulocyte/Monocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor or GM-CSF. It is made in your body by many types of cells and it has been used in the clinic setting for nearly 20 years to stimulate the production of new white blood cells. A very low dose is used. For example, a patient who has had a bone marrow transplant would get about 1,000 times more GM-CSF than is used in this study.

Research thus far suggests that when there are high levels of tumor proteins and GM-CSF in the same area there can be a very strong immune response against the tumor. We predict that this will result in the activation of the immune system to attack the tumor.

For more information please call Joann at 887-4807, who will take your name and phone number. A member of the research team will contact you to answer your questions.