New medical approach guides Nicklaus Hospital cancer treatments

Cancer treatment researchers have developed a medicine approach that targets cancer by combining genetic testing with a new way to test individual drugs on tumor samples.

This combined approach, developed by Florida International University (FIU) cancer researcher Dr. Diana Azzam, was used for the first time to guide the treatment of relapsed pediatric cancer patients at First Ascent Biomedical and Dr. Maggie Fader at the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

With Dr. Azzam’s lab research approach, a sample of cancer cells is taken from the patient and processed in the lab in a way that closely resembles how they would normally grow in the body. Then the cancer is exposed to more than 120 FDA-approved drugs, including both cancer and non-cancer drugs. These drugs also may be tested in various combinations recommended by the clinical team. Dr. Azzam said it resulted in 83% of the children showing improvement.

“The results are exciting because cancer that comes back is much harder to treat. Seeing improvement in 83% of patients is incredibly promising,” said Dr. Azzam, who is an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the FIU Robert Stempel College of Public Health. “This could be the way we turn cancer into a manageable disease.”

With a $2 million appropriation from the state, Dr. Azzam’s lab is set to become the first federally certified large-scale lab dedicated to functional cancer drug testing in Florida, said Dr. Marcos Mestre, chief medical officer at Nicklaus.

About 2 million people are diagnosed with cancer in the US each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Nearly 30% – more than 600,000 – are expected to die of the disease.

“At the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, we believe no child should have to leave home to get the care they need,” Dr. Mestre said. “That is why we won’t stop collaborating with organizations like FIU that share our commitment to making pediatric cancer treatment a priority for children and their families all across the state of Florida.”