Lung, breast cancer patients can enroll in studies at Mount Sinai South Nassau

Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital has gotten a green light to run clinical trials for breast and lung cancer treatments and is seeking patients to enroll in the studies.

The National Cancer Institute’s Central Institutional Review Board approved the Oceanside hospital as an affiliate site for two clinical trials, the hospital said Tuesday.

"Mount Sinai South Nassau increasingly has become a teaching hospital and one that is actively engaged in research on many fronts," Dr. Adhi Sharma, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau, said in a statement. The approval for the two studies, he said, "is another step forward to ensure that our patients have access to the latest NCI designated clinical trials."

National Cancer Institute studies are "the gold standard" in cancer research, Dr. Shahriyour Andaz, director of clinical research at Mount Sinai South Nassau, said in an interview. "We are very excited to have this, especially for our local patients," he said. Long Islanders, he said, "don't have to travel to the city, they can get involved in clinical research trials at a local level, which is really good for them."

In addition to allowing local residents to enroll in clinical trials without commuting into Manhattan, bringing the studies to Mount Sinai South Nassau also gives the health system's physicians access to insights gleaned from the research, Andaz said.

This year, about 300 patients have enrolled in clinical studies conducted by physicians affiliated with Mount Sinai South Nassau. The studies focus on lung, breast and colon cancer, neuro-oncology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, bariatric and orthopedics, according to Mount Sinai South Nassau.

The National Cancer Institute’s review board is responsible for ensuring that clinical trials meet ethical and quality standards and protecting the rights and welfare of patients in the trials. The hospital also has a Protocol Review Committee that oversees clinical trials and communicates with the national review board.

The breast cancer study compares two treatment approaches for people whose cancer was previously treated with chemotherapy and surgery. One approach is radiation therapy alone, and the other is radiation therapy combined with lymph node dissection.

The lung cancer study examines the side effects and effectiveness of a cancer treatment called Keytruda for people who have cases of stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer that has come back. The study will test how well the treatment shrinks tumors, with or without chemotherapy.

Each study is expected to enroll at least 30 to 40 patients, Andaz said.

For enrollment information, call 516-632-3312.

By Maura McDermott

maura.mcdermott@newsday.commauramcdermott

Maura McDermott covers education. Since joining Newsday in 2012, she also has worked on the investigations team and covered real estate and the business of health care.