FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2000
Contact: Mark D. Hendrickson
(732) 205-1449
NEW JERSEY NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE PARTICIPATES IN CLINICAL TRIAL TO TREAT MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMORS
Primary brain tumors affect more than 18,000 patients annually in the United States. For malignant brain tumors, the results of conventional therapy such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy have been disappointing. It is with this in mind that the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center in Edison is actively recruiting patients to participate in a phase II clinical trial for a promising new treatment for glioblastomas, the most serious type of brain tumor.
The study, facilitated by Subramanian Hariharan, M.D., director of neuro-oncology at the Neuroscience Institute and assistant professor of neuroscience at Seton Hall University’s School of Graduate Medical Education in South Orange, compares treatment using a chemotherapy medicine called Temodar with a treatment combining Temodar and Thalidomide, both of which are taken orally. Thalidomide is believed to block the growth of blood vessels, which supply nutrients to the tumor.
"We are extremely optimistic about this study," explains Hariharan. "By conducting this trial, we will be able to evaluate the medications, while also concentrating on the patient’s quality of life. Radiation treatments can extend life, but often the quality of life is poor, which is a real concern for patients."
The two-year study is expected to enroll approximately 70 patients who have previously undergone surgery and radiation treatment for their condition. In addition to the drug therapies, patients will undergo an MRI every two to three months to test for evidence of tumor shrinkage during the duration of the study. Various cognitive tests and other self-reporting will be done to measure quality of life results.
"We’re hoping the Temodar will kill the tumor by interfering with the DNA replication," adds Hariharan. "While the Thalidomide does not attack the tumor directly, it will prevent the surrounding area from forming new areas of growth."
In addition to the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center, patients are being enrolled in the clinical trial at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., and Pinnacle Health Regional Cancer Center in Harrisburg, Pa.
Hariharan is a graduate of the University of Kerala in India. His graduate medical education includes a residency in internal medicine at Atlantic City Medical Center; a residency in neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, and a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Center in New York City. He is board certified in neurology and internal medicine.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment and research of complex neurological disorders in adults and children. Services offered at the Institute include programs in spine and brain tumors, dizziness and balance disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, stroke and movement disorders and a comprehensive sleep disorder clinic and laboratory.
For more information on the clinical trial or other programs offered through the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, call (732) 321-7010.