Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Western Regional Medical Center (Western) will be the first hospital in Arizona to work on a groundbreaking targeted drug trial for cancer treatment.

The study launched earlier this year and will evaluate molecularly targeted cancer drugs and collect data on clinical outcomes to learn about additional uses of these drugs outside of indications already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The targeted drug trial at the CTCA is the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study — the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) first-ever clinical trial.

“Cancer Treatment Centers of America is proud to be one of ASCO’s partner sites for the TAPUR Study,” said Dr. Glen Weiss, Director of Clinical Research and Phase I and Phase II Clinical Trials, CTCA at Western. “The addition of this trial to our portfolio of research options enables us to provide even more treatment options for those patients battling cancer.”

The trial involves broader opportunity for participation than in many cancer clinical trials—with the hope of enabling more patients to participate.

Eligible participants include those who have an advanced solid tumor, multiple myeloma, or B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, are no longer benefitting from standard anti-cancer treatments, or for whom no acceptable standard treatment is available. Patients enrolled in the study will have access to experimental targeted cancer drugs at no cost.

The study aims to:

  • Learn how approved drugs might work against different  tumor types that harbor the drug target
  • Find out how genomic or molecular tests are used to care for people with advanced cancer
  • Use the study results to help inform future studies and aid in the care of people with cancer

“We are excited to have CTCA join the TAPUR Study. Their national reach allows us to provide access to the trial to a diverse group of patients,” said ASCO Chief Medical Officer Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FASCO. “With TAPUR, CTCA patients have the potential to benefit from targeted therapies that have already demonstrated effectiveness in other cancer types.”

The TAPUR Study is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 02693535), which includes a full list of inclusion/exclusion criteria and other information.

Patients can learn more about TAPUR at CTCA by contacting the Clinical Trials team at clinicaltrials@ctca-hope.com or by calling an Oncology Information Specialists at 888-841-9129. Oncology Information Specialists are available around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to discuss treatment options offered at CTCA.