1st Patient Enrolled in Clinical Trial is at CCMH

 A new drug, jointly developed by Arvinas and Pfizer, against breast cancer, ARV-471, has had great success in its clinical trials thus far. The Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma is the first in the US to enroll a patient in phase III, the most evidence-based trial. In this phase, researchers can look closer on how the drug fares compared to the current standard medication fulvestrant. ARV-471 is an oral medication that works by blocking estrogen receptors in patients. Although there are different types of breast cancer, in a majority of them, estrogen is part of the cause. Dr. Eugenio Najera, M.D., principal research investigator, said that the drug could work for the types of breast cancers that are hormone-positive.

“It feels very rewarding,” Dr. Najera said. “We are able to offer our rural patients the chance of a state-of-the-art cancer trial. They don’t have to go to a big city.”