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Prevention & Research Center: Research Studies

Mercy’s widely-regarded physicians and clinical team work diligently to provide unparalleled care, beginning with providing the most sophisticated, leading-edge therapies. Physician experts work in tandem with The Prevention & Research Center at Mercy, focusing on translating research into clinical care and bridging breakthrough findings into emerging treatments. Mercy’s specialized research teams are actively involved in innovative clinical trials and research studies which cross multiple medical disciplines and seek to advance the treatment of countless diseases.

Working closely with prestigious national research institutes and health foundations, Mercy’s experts are dedicated to conducting vital research leading to breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Current Research Studies

Breast Cancer Trials

• Bisphosphonate Breast Cancer Study
• Assessment of Clinical Cancer Tests Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment
• EMILIA
• BETH Trial
• Femara® Versus Placebo
• BOLERO-2
• Radiation Therapy With or Without Trastumzumab in Treating Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Who Have Undergone Lumpectomy
• Dune Study
• Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Women with Stage I, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Breast Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

Colon & Rectal Cancer Trials

• Randomized Trial Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Panitumumab or Avastin® in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Melanoma Trials

• Trial to Evaluate The Safety and Efficacy of Treatment with Allovectin-7® Compared to Dacarbazine (DTIC) or Temozolomide (TMZ) in Patients with Recurrent Metastatic Melanoma
• Randomized Trial of Sentinel Lymphadenectomy and Complete Lymph Node Dissection vs. Sentinel Lymphadenectomy Alone in Melanoma Patients

Other Studies

• Pilot study to determine whether a link exists between enteric bacteria and the development of Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP)

Breast Cancer Trials

Bisphosphonate Breast Cancer Study

Sponsor: Southwest Oncology Group
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

This study is being done to find how well adding a bisphosphonate (e.g., Boniva) to hormone or chemotherapy will help to prevent future recurrence of breast cancer in bones and other parts of the body.  (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00127205) 

Assessment of Clinical Cancer Tests Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment

Sponsor: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

In this trial, the OncotypeDx Breast Cancer Assay will be used to guide treatment decisions in women whose lymph nodes do not contain cancer but whose tumor is either Estrogen Positive and/or Progesterone Positive.  (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00310180)

EMILIA

Sponsors: Genentech, Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd.
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

The purpose of the study is to compare the effects of trastuzumab-MMC-DM1 (T-DM1) with capecitabine plus laptinib on locally advanced breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer.  (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00829166)

BETH Trial

Sponsors: Cancer International Research Group (CIRG), National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, and Genentech, Inc.
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

A trial to determine if adding the drug Bevacizumab to regimens of chemotherapy in patients with node positive or high risk node negative HER2 positive breast cancer will improve invasive disease free survival.  (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00625898)

Femara® Versus Placebo

Sponsor: National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

This trial will study whether or not continuing hormonal therapy with Femara®, an aromatase inhibitor (AI), for 5 additional years after already taking 5 years of hormonal therapy can further reduce the chance of breast cancer recurrence.  (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00382070)

BOLERO-2

Sponsor: Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

The study will compare the combination treatment of everolimus and exemestane to exemestane alone. This study is for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer that does not respond to drugs called non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors. (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00863655)

Radiation Therapy With or Without Trastumzumab in Treating Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Who Have Undergone Lumpectomy

Sponsor: National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

The study is being done to compare the effects of adding the drug trastuzumab (also called Herceptin®) to breast radiation therapy.  Trastuzummab has been shown to block the HER2 protein and to slow down or stop the growth of HER2-postiive “invasive” breast cancers. Radiation therapy is the standard treatment for patients with DCIS. (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00769379)

Dune Study

Sponsor: Dune Medical Devices
Principal Investigator: Neil B. Friedman, MD, 410-332-9330
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

The purpose of this research is to determine if this new device, when used during a lumpectomy procedure, assists the surgeon in identifying tissue for excision. (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00749931)

Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Women with Stage I, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Breast Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

Sponsor: National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

This study is for women who have breast cancer and have not yet had surgery. The main purpose of the study is to learn how breast cancer tumors respond to several different chemotherapy combinations with or without the drug bevacizumab. (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00408408)

Colon & Rectal Trials

Randomized Trial Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Panitumumab or Avastin® in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Principal Investigator: David A. Riseberg, MD, 410-783-5858
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

This study’s purpose is to determine if either panitumumab (the study drug) or Avastin® (a drug usually given for metastatic colorectal cancer) combined with a standard chemotherapy regimen FOLFIRI) are safe and effective treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer. (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00418938)

Melanoma Trials

Trial to Evaluate The Safety and Efficacy of Treatment with Allovectin-7® Compared to Dacarbazine (DTIC) or Temozolomide (TMZ) in Patients with Recurrent Metastatic Melanoma

Sponsor: Vical Incorporated
Principal Investigator: Armando Sardi, MD, FACS, 410-332-9294
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

A study to evaluate the study of a vaccine, Allovectin-7®, and how well it works in comparison to the standard of care with chemotherapies dacarbazine (DTIC) or temozolomide (TMZ) in treatment of recurrent metastatic melanoma.  (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00395070)

Randomized Trial of Sentinel Lymphadenectomy and Complete Lymph Node Dissection vs. Sentinel Lymphadenectomy Alone in Melanoma Patients

Sponsor: John Wayne Cancer Institute
Principal Investigator: Armando Sardi, MD, FACS, 410-332-9294
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

The overall purpose of this research is to find out if melanoma can be treated by removing only a few lymph nodes (called “sentinel nodes”) from a lymph basin  (called a “sentinel node dissection”) or if all lymph nodes in a lymph basin must be removed (called a “complete lymph node dissection”). (ClinicalTrials.gov Study ID: NCT00389571)

Other Studies

Pilot study to determine whether a link exists between enteric bacteria and the development of Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP)

Principal Investigator: Armando Sardi, MD, FACS, 410-332-9294
Research Nurses: Lisa McConnell, RN, BSN, OCN, 410-332-1200 and
Sheila Lampel, RN, BSN, 410-332-9459

This is a pilot study to demonstrate a link between H. Pylori and Pseudomyxoma Peritonei.

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