NEWSLETTER OF THE NEURO-ONCOLOGY PROGRAM AT MOFFITT CANCER CENTER SPRING 2018
With Brain and Spinal Cancers
You Only Have
“One Chance to
Get it Right”
In this issue of the Neuron News we focus on some new
developments in our center. I introduce the topics briefly
below, but I continue to emphasize two philosophical points:
First, we strongly believe the best care for such complicated
problems is in a large NCI Designated Cancer Center with a
Multidisciplinary Team to properly support patients with
these complicated problems. We discuss the Team Approach
to Clinical Trials, the importance of a skilled Neuropathologist
and Personalized Medicine Pharmacologist to make a
molecular diagnosis of your tumor, in order to find the best
treatments for your particular tumor. It is also essential to
utilize a Multidisciplinary Team approach to a rare tumor
called Primary CNS Lymphoma.
Second, it’s really important to get the diagnosis and treatment
plan “right the first time”, particularly with diseases involving
the brain or spinal cord. The brain and spinal cord are particularly
fragile and vulnerable to many treatments such as surgery,
radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapies. So any
treatment has to be carefully balanced against any side effects
that may occur. It’s particularly difficult to “undo” any damage
done to the nervous system.
Clinical Trials In Brain and Spinal Cord Cancers
Dr. Sahebjam and others in the Department highlight the
advances that we are making in offering patients participation
in cutting edge treatments such as immune-based treatments,
viral therapies and even new combinations of proven therapies
to determine the best treatment for our patients. You might
ask, “Why would I want to participate in a clinical trial?” There
are three answers to that question. First, it is an opportunity to
gain access to the latest treatments which are very promising.
For many of these treatments, which can be prohibitively
expensive if you had to pay for them out of pocket, it’s really
the only way to see if they’ll help your tumor. Second, for
almost all clinical trials that we do, you can try an experimental
therapy first and then, if that doesn’t work, use the standard
cancer treatments. But for many Clinical Trials, if you start
the standard cancer treatments first it excludes you from the
clinical trial and opportunity to try the new treatment. Third,
there is abundant evidence that participating in clinical trials
gives you better care and a better chance of surviving longer
with a good quality of life. Finally, even if the treatment doesn’t
help you, it is an opportunity to help patients in the future.
I was acutely ill once, (though not with cancer) and participated
in a clinical trial. I knew even if it didn’t help me, it might help
someone else in my condition in the future.
continues on page 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 With Brain and Spine
Cancers You Only Have
“Once Chance to Get it Right”
2 Faculty Highlight:
James Liu, MD
Edwin Peguero, MD
Sepideh Mokhtari, MD
4 Neuro-Oncology Clinical
Research Team
5 It Takes a Village
4 Dr. Sahebjam
6 Moffitt’s Neurofibromatosis Clinic Celebrates
First Anniversary with Neurofibromatosis
Clinic Network Designation
7 Advances in Adult Brain Tumor Classification
Using Molecular Neuropathology
8 Surgical Innovations That Enhance
Smooth Transition to Clinical Trials
for Brain Cancer Patients
9 Tumor Treating Fields for Glioblastoma
10 Precision Tools for Patients with Brain Tumors
10 Personalized Medicine Clinical Services
11 Letter From The Administrator
12 APP Bios
12 Meet the New Neuro Clinic Social Worker
13 A Quick Note from the Clinic
13 What the Fight Means to Me
14 Teeing Up With Brain Cancer
14 Clinical Trials
15 Miles for Moffitt