Clinical Research Thoracic Cancers

Strategic Direction and Overarching Themes for the Service

(section under construction)

Description of Programs and Protocols within the Service

Principal Investigator: Keith Cengel, M.D., Ph.D.
Coordinator: 
Office: 
UPCC#: 14513

This is a randomized Phase II trial designed to test whether the addition of intraoperative Photofrin-mediated photodynamic therapy to radical pleurectomy and post-operative chemotherapy improves overall survival in the treatment of patients with epithelioid malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Subjects with resectable, epithelioid MPM will be randomly assigned to surgery with PDT vs. surgery alone. Subjects assigned to the PDT arm will be given the photosensitizer Photofrin prior to surgery at a dose of 2 mg/kg given approximately 24h prior to surgery. All subjects will receive maximal surgical debulking via radical pleurectomy with the goal of producing a macroscopically complete surgical resection (MCR). After maximal surgical resection, subjects assigned to the PDT arm will receive intraoperative treatment with 630 nm light to a dose of 60 J/cm2 using real-time, isotropic light dosimetry. All subjects will receive post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy. This trial will be performed with the primary endpoint of overall survival and secondary endpoints of progression free survival, as well as analysis of normal and malignant tissues and serum for cellular, microenvironmental and immunologic endpoints.

Principal Investigator: Samuel Swisher-McClure M.D., MSHP
Coordinator: 
Office: 
UPCC#: RTOG 1308

This randomized phase III trial studies proton chemoradiotherapy to see how well it works compared to photon chemoradiotherapy in treating patients with stage II-III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor, such as photon or proton beam radiation therapy, may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, carboplatin, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether proton chemoradiotherapy is more effective than photon chemoradiotherapy in treating non-small cell lung cancer.

Principal Investigator: Abigail Berman, M.D.
Coordinator: 
Office: 
UPCC#: 16516

The main purpose of this study is to assess the safety, tolerability and anti-tumor activity of the experimental study drug pembrolizumab (also known as Keytruda or MK-3475) in people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has come back after radiation therapy.

Principal Investigator: Abigail Berman, M.D.
Coordinator: 
Office: 
UPCC#: 08517

To determine if the addition of vancomycin to SBRT increases a Th1 immune response measured by cytokine expression (IFN gamma)