PRESS RELEASE

September 28, 2009

National clinical study looking for local women with breast cancer

BRADFORD, Pa. -- Breast cancer spreads to the bone in at least one-fourth of all breast cancer patients, and the average life expectancy after a diagnosis of bone metastasis is two years. At the same time, breast cancer treatments are commonly associated with osteoporosis, bone fractures, and pain. 

Because of this, eligible breast cancer patients now have the opportunity to participate in a national clinical trial through the Cancer Care Center at the Bradford (PA) Regional Medical Center (BRMC), a network affiliate of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) in Buffalo, NY. The study is designed to help researchers determine whether drugs called bisphosphonates can prevent breast cancer from spreading to the bone and also protect against bone problems associated with standard treatments for breast cancer. 

Participants in this Phase III study at the BRMC Cancer Care Center, sponsored by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and under way at institutions across the country, will receive bisphosphonates, drugs commonly used to treat osteoporosis, or bone loss. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants will also undergo medical testing to gauge the effects of the bisphosphonates, providing researchers with information critical to the improvement of breast cancer treatments. 

Eyad S. Al-Hattab, M.D., medical director of Oncology/Hematology at the BRMC Cancer Care Center and a staff physician in Medical Oncology at Roswell Park, will oversee the study at BRMC. As part of an affiliation agreement between BRMC and Roswell Park, Dr. Al-Hattab practices full time in Bradford but also works with Roswell Park faculty to improve access to quality cancer care for patients in the Southern Tier of New York state and northwestern Pennsylvania. 

For further information about the study, call Anne Zimbardi at BRMC at 814-362-8425 and refer to clinical trial SWOG-S0307. The mission of Roswell Park Cancer Institute is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.