Carilion Clinics new study may give cancer patients a new option for treatment

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Carilion Clinic is working on a study to treat cancer patients in a less toxic way.

Starburst isn’t just a candy, but the name for the study that could transform cancer care. This potentially groundbreaking trial is working to determine if there is a new way to treat a broad range of cancerous tumors.

Could cancer become as easy to treat as it is to diagnose? Carilion Clinic is the first in the country to be working on this STARBURST trial.

Medical Director of Molecular Imaging, Dr. Bill Kiser says they are working on imaging over 15 different cancers.

“This has been tested in Asia before with kidney cancer, so it’s been validated as a useable imagining technique,” says Dr. Kiser.

An investigative pet scan imaging agent will be used to find out if it can diagnose cancers known to express a protein receptor found on the surface of several solid tumors.

“Some cancers have it and some don’t, and we are trying to figure out which ones have it and which ones don’t,” added Dr. Kiser.

Patients will first go through an interview process to see if they are eligible. A week later they will be given an antibody injection.

“So the antibody will go to the target, the receptor, and stick to it kind of like glue,” explained Dr. Kiser. “So once it’s stuck to it, then it will admit radiation that we can detect with a pet scanner and take pictures of it.”

Many of the cancers they are imaging are difficult to treat.

Physicians are hoping those tumors have protein receptors therefore they might be eligible for theragnostic.

“In fact, one of the patients we’re enrolling now has Esophageal cancer and he’s gone through multiple therapies so he was actually going to be imaging him next week to see if he has these receptors or not with his cancer.”

Dr. Kiser says this way will give patients another option to prolong their life and maybe even cure them.

For cancer patients, this could mean treatment with fewer unpleasant side effects. Physicians are asking for volunteers to be a part of this trial.

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