Clinical Trials & Research

Patients with brain tumors may be eligible for clinical trials, which are new or novel therapies. All patients in the Brain Tumor Program are automatically assessed for their suitability for clinical trials.

Research is important for learning more about brain tumors and their treatments. Upstate has a unique brain tumor research lab to facilitate a bench to bedside pipeline to support clinical experts treating tumors.

Other highlights include:

• Access to novel and experimental Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III chemotherapy protocols through in-house studies, the Buffalo-Rochester Syracuse Neurooncology Research Group, and the Pediatric Oncology Group.
• Active collaborative bench research involving members of the Departments of Neurosurgery, Medical Oncology, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Neurology, and Neuropathology. Scientists study tumor tissue and cell lines derived from clinical specimens from patients.
• Current studies include mapping double minute chromosomes in gliomas, the role epidural growth factor receptor in glioma and modulation of amplification of the gene for the receptor as a target for therapy; the use of epidural growth factor receptor amplification as a prognostic factor for chemotherapy response, the use of amifostine as a radioprotectant in childhood brain tumors, and the role of interferon-inducible genes in glioma.