Dr. Corey Cutler is the medical director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.  As a physician at the forefront of cancer research, he talks about how the field has rapidly advanced, thanks to the volunteers who participate in clinical trials.

Dr. Cutler's field of expertise is Graft Versus Host Disease, and he starts by walking through all the different therapies that have come out of clinical trials, including Imbruvica, Jakafi, Rezurock and Abatacept.

In this episode, we also take on common myths around clinical trials, including patients who are concerned about placebo, and how they also benefit from the trials. Any clinical trial participant should put their own health first, ahead of any altruistic intentions.  And not all trials involve new therapies. You can participate in a cohort study, which only follows your existing plan for research purposes.

Most importantly, all participation in clinical trials is 100% voluntary.  Patients may remove their consent at any time in the process, and all trials are strictly monitored by independent review boards who place a priority on patient safety.

While Dr. Cutler's focus is on GVHD, he also speaks to the many advances in the fields of leukemia, lymphoma, and more, thanks to the progress made by clinical trials.

More:

US Clinical Trials Website: https://clinicaltrials.gov/

National Bone Marrow Transplant Link - (800) LINK-BMT, or (800) 546-5268.

nbmtLINK Website: https://www.nbmtlink.org/

nbmtLINK Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/nbmtLINK

nbmtLINK YouTube Page can be found by clicking here.

Thank you to this season's sponsors:

Omeros Corporation: https://www.omeros.com/

Incyte: https://www.incyte.com/

If you're curious about a clinical trial, you should ask your treating physician or center, or visit the government's central registry of all clinical trials at https://clinicaltrials.gov/


Follow the nbmtLINK on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/nbmtlink/