Clinical trials: Toward a future without cancer

“Every day is a blessing for me – days that I never thought I’d have if it weren’t for the research and all the work that the Canadian Cancer Society does.” 

In 2014, 53-year-old lawyer Faisal Joseph was diagnosed with kidney cancer that had spread to his pancreas, lungs and other organs. He was given at most 2 years to live if he underwent a high-risk surgery – which his doctors didn’t expect him to survive – and only 3 months without it. 

Then Faisal was offered the opportunity to take part in a CCS-funded clinical trial led by Dr Alison Allan and Dr David Palma. The goal: to improve results by personalizing treatments for people living with oligometastatic cancer – disease that has spread to only a limited number of sites in distant organs. 

The international phase 3 trial, which is still ongoing, is testing a specialized type of radiation treatment called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in people with oligometastatic disease. So far, the researchers have enrolled more than 200 participants to receive standard treatment either alone or with SABR. They plan to look at whether adding SABR to the treatment protocol increases survival or improves people’s quality of life. 

At the same time, the researchers are analyzing blood samples from each participant to track changes in key biomarkers during treatment. So far, the findings are promising – meaning that, one day, a simple blood test could can help doctors identify people who are likely to benefit from SABR. 

And Faisal? Thanks to his participation in the trial, he continues to surpass his care team’s expectations well over a decade after diagnosis.

Night shift disrupts the body’s natural production of melatonin, reducing its ability to repair DNA damage and increasing the risk of breast, prostate and other cancers. 

A first-of-its-kind study led by Dr Parveen Bhatti found that melatonin supplements can help night shift workers tackle that risk. With funding from CCS, Dr Bhatti’s team at BC Cancer studied whether taking melatonin supplements could help repair DNA damage in 40 people who worked at least 2 consecutive night shifts each week. Half of the trial participants took a melatonin supplement before daytime sleep for 4 weeks while the other half took a placebo. Those who took melatonin showed improved DNA repair, suggesting a potential way to lower cancer risk. 

Dr Bhatti is now using a CCS Workplace Cancer Research Grant to explore how changes in the gut microbiome may contribute to cancer risk in night shift workers – and how targeted actions could help prevent thousands of cancers each year.

Surgery is a common and often effective treatment for localized prostate cancer – but the waiting period can be stressful for people with cancer and their caregivers. That anxiety can also affect recovery and lead to treatment-related side effects. 

To help deal with this, CCS-funded researcher Dr Lin Yang is leading a trial to guide the use of “prehabilitation” – programs designed to help people with cancer and their caregivers prepare for surgery. 

Dr Yang’s study has already shown a significant unmet need among people with prostate cancer who are waiting for surgery. Now, they are trialing a mind-body exercise program for this group. They hope that, by helping people optimize their mental and physical health, they can improve care and results in a simple, minimally disruptive way. 

Allan Pipke, a retired firefighter, joined the study to get into better shape before his surgery. He’s grateful for the experience, which included both instructor-led and self-guided tai chi sessions – something entirely new to him. 

“You feel alone right after diagnosis,” Allan says. “As I got involved, I found the mental relaxation kept my mind off being sick. The pre-surgery void that was filled by the tai chi program was lifting some of the darkness from being diagnosed.” 

Allan’s surgery went well and, best of all, he was able to meet his first granddaughter – whom he now looks after several days each week. He also gained a new way to stay grounded, both physically and mentally. 

“Researchers, doctors, nurses and everyone involved in the journey brought me to my happy place,” Allan says. “I’m thankful I was able to be a part of this research. We see and hear stories of people who lead a longer life due to research – I’m one of them.”

No one wants to see the people they love in pain – which is why making people with cancer more comfortable at the end of life is a top priority for researchers. A recent breakthrough from a CCS-funded palliative care trial is helping do just that. 

Led by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and Dr Laura Dawson at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, the study found that a simple radiation treatment can significantly reduce pain for people with terminal liver cancer. 

Just one dose of palliative radiation to the liver alongside standard supportive care eased discomfort for people who are often too unwell for other treatments. The findings suggest that low-dose radiation should be considered a standard option for managing liver cancer pain. 

For many participants, the impact meant more meaningful time and memories with loved ones. One family member shared, “I believe in my heart that the radiation treatment given to my husband gave him at least another 6 weeks of good quality of life that he might not otherwise have had.”