The Iowa Cancer Consortium has created a new resource that includes a comprehensive list of cancer clinical trials in the state, and where to learn more about the importance of trials.
The new resource is available online at canceriowa.org/clinicaltrials.
Health care partners across the state are collaborating on the new resource to ensure that there is a central source for Iowans to find information about statewide cancer clinical trials, according to a release.
Clinical trials are research studies that identify the best ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. While many trials exist for a variety of cancer types and stages, finding the right one can be challenging for a patient or their care team.
Health partners who collaborated on the project included Genesis Cancer Center in the Quad Cities, the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center in Cedar Rapids, Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, William R. Bliss Cancer Center in Ames, Mission Cancer + Blood statewide, and the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center in Iowa City.
Being faced with a cancer diagnosis and choosing treatment can be overwhelming, and cancer clinical trials often allow patients to access treatment that may not yet be part of the standard of care.
By participating in a cancer clinical trial, patients can also contribute to knowledge about cancer that will benefit future generations. Other benefits may include closer monitoring by a health care team and potential cost savings.
One Iowan who benefited from a cancer clinical trial is Jordan Hauck of Huxley, Iowa. Mr. Hauck was in his 20s when he found a lump in his armpit. Young and with no family history of cancer, he didn’t pay it much attention. But when the lump grew to about the size of a baseball in a matter of months, he went to the doctor.
Unfortunately, the lump was determined to be cancerous, and the cancer had spread to his liver and lungs. His doctor helped him look into clinical trials at the University of Iowa, and found one led by Mohammed Milhem, MBBS. Dr. Milhem diagnosed Mr. Hauck with stage 4 melanoma and began his treatment through the clinical trial, consisting of an oral medication and injections.
After a year, Mr. Hauck was cancer-free. When his cancer came back in 2023, his treatment was a relatively new immunotherapy medication approved two years ago. The treatment, developed through clinical trials, was successful, and Mr. Hauck is cancer-free again.
In addition to the new website resource, the Iowa Cancer Consortium has created a social media message set so that anyone can share this resource and crucial information about cancer clinical trials. The message set is also available at canceriowa.org/clinicaltrials.
The Iowa Cancer Consortium is Iowa’s statewide comprehensive cancer control coalition. As a leader in cancer control, the Iowa Cancer Consortium offers the state’s cancer partners and advocates access to resources, expertise, and non-competitive collaboration across traditional boundaries for a bigger impact in cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, quality of life, and health equity.
