National Cancer Research Month

Cancer research is a core element of the Roswell Park mission to understand, prevent and cure cancer. As one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers, Roswell Park joins with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to acknowledge May as National Cancer Research Month.

Roswell Park Clinical Research Services

At Roswell Park, we have the ability to take new cancer treatments from the “bench to the bedside.” Because we can offer some of the latest cancer therapies before they are widely available, our patients have access to more options for treating their cancer.

Why did you choose a clinical trial?

Click the images below for insight from our patients. Each poster gives a glimpse into why each person chose to participate in a clinical trial as part of his or her treatment plan at Roswell Park.

A Look Back at the Last Year of Cancer Research at Roswell Park

• Launch of Phase I Trial of NY-ESO-1 Dendritic Cell Vaccine
  The Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park launched a phase I clinical research study of a dendritic cell vaccine designed to both eradicate cancer cells and prevent disease relapse. Learn more
• Roswell Park Researchers Publish Findings on Agent Shown to Enhance Immunotherapy
  Preclinical research by a team from Roswell Park has demonstrated for the first time the way in which a class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, entinostat, appears to boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy for treatment of some solid tumors, including kidney and prostate cancer. Learn more
• Pox Vaccines Extend Survival for Patients with Melanoma, Ovarian Cancer
  An immunotherapy regimen incorporating poxviruses and targeting a particular tumor antigen, NY-ESO-1, has shown promise in treating two types of cancers. Learn more
• RPCI Researchers Establish Link Between Nanog, FAK Proteins
  Vita Golubovskaya, PhD, and five colleagues from Roswell Park have published basic research in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) about two proteins that are overexpressed, or produced in excessive amounts, in tumor cells. Learn more
• Vitamin D Influences Racial Differences in Breast Cancer Risk
  New research by a team from Roswell Park and four other institutions has shown that specific genetic variations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and in CYP24A1 (responsible for deactivating vitamin D) are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk — particularly for ER-negative breast cancer — for African-American women.
• Roswell Park will Lead $5.1M Gene-Sequencing Effort Funded by NYS Initiative
  The Roswell Park Cancer Institute Genome Project was approved December 8, 2011 as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The project will compile and analyze the detailed genetic data (the “genomes”) of Western New York citizens. This will significantly enhance our ability to develop personalized, more effective medical care plans and treatments for citizens of Western New York (WNY) — and beyond. Learn more
• Roswell Park Researcher Aims to Develop Screening Test for Lung Cancer
  Currently, biopsies are the only sure way to detect lung cancer, and they are highly involved and invasive for patients. That’s why RPCI researcher Sai Yendamuri, MD, FCCP, hopes to develop a blood test to help diagnose the cancer in patients before they undergo a biopsy. Learn more
• Roswell Park Receives $4.5M to Study Tobacco Use
  RPCI is a research partner in the largest study to date of tobacco use in the United States. Learn more
• RPCI Collaborating on Largest Study of Breast Cancer in African Americans
  Why are African-American women more likely than those of European descent to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, and with poor prognoses? It’s a provocative question, and one that a multidisciplinary team from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University (BU), the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNC) and Roswell Park are coming together to address, supported by a five-year, $19.3 million award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Learn more
• Dietary-Intervention Study For Prostate Cancer Accruing Patients
  Two researchers from RPCI have opened a clinical trial that will assess the impact of dietary change to control prostate cancer, called the Men's Eating and Living (MEAL) study. Learn more
• RPCI Faculty Receive $8.5 Million In Disparities Grants From Federal Agencies
  Roswell Park faculty members have received recent grants supporting important work in breast and prostate-cancer research in specific populations. Learn more
• Maintenance Treatment With Oral Lenalidomide After Stem-Cell Transplant Improves Multiple Myeloma Survival, Reduces Risk Of Disease Progression
  Updated data from a National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trial conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group (CALGB) was presented May 5, 2011 at the 13th International Myeloma Workshop in Paris, France. The phase III study evaluated the benefits of continuous, or maintenance, treatment with lenalidomide (Revlimid) following an autologous stem-cell transplant in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and found that lenalidomide delays time to disease progression and improves overall survival compared to placebo. Learn more