Kaiser Vallejo involved in new clinical trials

Kaiser Permanente is enrolling lung cancer patients in two new clinical trials, which profile tumors for genetic markers and then direct patients to the experimental medications that are most likely to be effective. The LUNG-MAP and ALCHEMIST clinical trials are available to all qualified members at every medical center in Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region, officials said. "These studies have the potential to fundamentally transform how doctors identify the best experimental treatments for cancer patients," Kaiser Permanente's Vallejo Medical Center hematology oncologist and the studies' co-investigator J. Marie Suga said. "Both trials test cancer tissue to find the malignant genetic changes, in order to identify the best treatment for the patient." Clinical trials are studies that test experimental medications and treatments for safety and efficacy. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, LUNG-MAP (Lung Cancer Master Protocol) targets patients with advanced squamous-cell carcinoma, about a quarter of lung-cancer patients, who have already completed one line of treatment for metastasized cancer. ALCHEMIST (Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trial) targets patients with nonsquamous lung cancer that has been surgically removed.  Kaiser Permanente is using its integrated electronic medical records to identify patients who may qualify for these clinical trials, officials said.

Suga is spearheading the new treatment protocols across the Northern California region. Kaiser Permanente's Southern California, Northwest, and Hawaii regions are also participating officials said.
Since Kaiser Permanente Clinical Oncology Trials began enrolling patients in cancer treatment clinical trials more than 25 years ago, the program has grown into one of the nation's largest, they said. In 2014, Kaiser Permanente became an NCI--designated Community Oncology Research Program