Javier Oesterheld, MD, Division Chief of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Program at Levine Children’s Hospital and Founder and Executive Director of the ARISE Cancer Consortium, discusses the organization’s goals and upcoming clinical trials.
The ARISE Cancer Consortium
The ARISE Cancer Consortium is a new collaborative effort between pediatric oncology investigators and physicians in North and South Carolina. The organization was started by Dr. Oesterheld to get investigators engaged in clinical trials, and biologic and survivorship work. The consortium’s goals are to advance research, supportive care, and treatment for patients undergoing the cancer journey.
ARISE is currently focused on the Carolinas with a focus on improving patient care and access to new therapies and clinical trials in local institutions where patients can remain with their support system. The consortium plans to remain local for the first few years before expansion to a regional or national level.
This year, ARISE held its first annual meeting where scientific findings were presented and research focuses were discussed. From this meeting, unmet needs in the sarcoma space and the survivorship spaces were highlighted, leading to the consortium’s first involvement in clinical trials.
Upcoming Clinical Trials
The first clinical trial will focus on treatment with methotrexate in osteosarcoma, where close monitoring of methotrexate levels are typical. Current guidelines state that patients must be at a level of 0.1 before being sent home from the hospital. This clinical trial hopes to change that level to 0.2 so that patients can be sent home 24 to 36 hours earlier. This stems from challenges young patients face from being in the hospital for long periods of time.
The second clinical trial will focus on survivorship, specifically early aging in childhood cancer survivors. This study will examine blood biomarkers of early aging and the implementation of exercise protocols to combat these biomarkers. Preliminary data has shown changes in this data.
ARISE hopes to open up these trials in late 2025 or early 2026.
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