Nothing big, just a new centre putting Pts on trial. A good news story all the same.
Don't think I've come across much in Malaysia before.
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KUCHING: Two liver cancer patients have so far been identified and recruited by Asia-Pacific Hepatocellular Carcinoma Trials Group (AHCC06) phase III for clinical trial at Sarawak General Hospital.
AHCC06 phase III clinical trial is a multi-centre, open-label, randomised controlled trial that compares the outcomes of two established treatments for locally-advanced liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), namely selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) using SIR-Spheres yttrium-90® microspheres and Sorafenib, a systemic oral chemotherapy.
The primary objective of this study is to determine which of the two treatment arms confers better overall survival in this group of patients.
According to Dr Law Chiong Soon, a Nuclear Medicine physician who heads the clinical study at the SGH here, the two patients were now undergoing treatment and close follow-up.
This is the latest update from Kuching site which was set up a few months ago after SGH was identified as the first public hospital under the Ministry of Health in the country which will conduct a clinical trial for liver cancer patients using Yttrium-90 Resin Microspheres or a systemic oral chemotherapy.
SGH is one of 27 centres in Asia Pacific countries which is currently doing the trial using the new treatment. Concurrently there are two research studies held in the world today; one in Asia-Pacific and another one in Europe which is based in France.
Besides Dr Law, the multi-disciplinary team at SGH consists of Hepatobiliary surgeon Nik Azim Nik Abdullah, Interventional radiologist Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohammad Ali and Clinical oncologist Dr Yu Kong Leong.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the clinical trial Prof Pierce Chow, a senior consultant of the Division of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) said more than 70 per cent of patients from the 27 centres had completed the necessary investigations and had a definitive treatment plan formulated by a multi-disciplinary team within three days from initial consultation.
He added the first anniversary for the Comprehensive Liver Cancer Clinic (CLCC) at NCCS amassed many stories from patients who came for consultation and treatment, had the benefit of being assessed by a multi-disciplinary team of top liver specialists and also enjoyed a shorter waiting time between consultations.
This has been possible because 70 per cent of the patients were able to get their treatment plan formulated within three days from initial consultation as they are assessed by a multi-disciplinary team of medical specialists.
In addition, the multi-disciplinary nature of the CLCC, allows a patient, for example, to be referred to a medical oncologist, interventional radiologist, nuclear medicine physician or radiation oncologist within the same day, if surgery is not an option.
Patients visiting CLCC also have a better opportunity to access cutting edge clinical trials as NCCS engages extensively in research collaborations with other global cancer institutions and industry. New therapies are first available in academic medical clinics like the CLCC and patients would benefit from newer therapies should their current treatment options are exhauste
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