Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care cancer clinics across Illinois and Wisconsin are participating in a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded clinical trial that aims to determine why some adolescent and young adult cancer survivors later get sick.
Specifically, the study will evaluate the social and genetic conditions that increase the likelihood that adolescents and young adults get sick and die after treatment of Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“This clinical trial is not studying a treatment, but instead it is surveying young people who have survived lymphoma to figure out how they handle the rigors of transitioning to adulthood while also having this history of cancer hanging over them,” said oncologist Sigrun Hallmeyer, MD, Advocate Aurora Research Institute’s principal investigator for the study. “Research shows that young people who have survived cancer tend to have an elevated risk of other health problems. Compared to adults, these young people have an entirely different cancer experience, with unique biological, psychological and social factors that affect their health following cancer treatment.”
Lymphoma is a category of cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes and affects the body’s lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. The two main types are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is the most diagnosed cancer in adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19, according to the American Cancer Society. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is most common in older adults, but it can occur at any age and is also one of the more common cancers among adolescents and young adults.
Participants in the study are asked to complete regular questionnaires about their health-related quality of life, including their cancer experience, physical and emotional well-being, daily activities, and social support. Researchers will also obtain demographic and socio-economic information from the participants.
Additionally, the study includes laboratory tests that will analyze blood samples from the participants.
“The blood samples are an important part of this clinical trial, as researchers will analyze whether participants’ cancer treatments and their life experiences have resulted in changes to their genetic information,” said Melissa Kadar, Director of the Research Institute’s Center of Excellence in Cancer Research. “This could potentially help researchers identify specific factors that increase the likelihood of these young people getting sick and dying after cancer treatment, which would ultimately help doctors better meet their health care needs as they grow up.”
The clinical trial, “Evaluating the Impact of Social and Genetic Factors on Outcomes in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors – EAQ211,” is led by ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, a cooperative research group that designs and conducts clinical trials sponsored by NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care cancer clinics across Illinois and Wisconsin are participating in the study through their inclusion in the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). This program brings cancer clinical trials to people in their own communities instead of only at major research institutions.
Researchers plan to enroll 2,000 participants in the study at multiple sites throughout the country.
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