The Sault Area Hospital’s Algoma District Cancer Program was one of two community oncology practices in Canada nominated for the prestigious American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Clinical Trials Participation Awards at ASCO’s 44th annual meeting in Chicago June 1st.

“We didn’t win, but it’s like the Academy Awards,” said Phyllis Bettello, manager of the Algoma District Clinical Trials Program. “It’s an honour just to be nominated.”

Bettello and her staff of four oversee the program along with the Sault’s three medical oncologists: Dr. David Walde, Dr. Silvana Spadafora and Dr. Bruce Keith.

The award recognizes clinical trials programs for superior patient accrual rates, participation of minority and underrepresented populations, audit report quality and investigators in good standing.

The Algoma program is currently overseeing 20 clinical trials open to patient participation and is conducting follow-ups on another 30 studies.

Bettello, a certified clinical research professional with 25 years of experience in clinical trials, is passionate about her group’s contribution to advancing cancer research and allowing cancer patients in the Algoma District to benefit from new cancer treatments.

“We want to make sure that the patients in the communities we serve have access to the latest, innovative therapies that cancer research has to offer,” she said.

Thanks to the Algoma District clinical trials program, cancer patients in Sault Ste. Marie and outlying communities have access to the same innovative therapies available to patients at much larger urban sites such as Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.

The clinical trials are national or international multi-centre studies sponsored or co-ordinated by pharmaceutical companies, the National Cancer Institute of Canada or the Ontario Clinical Oncology Group. They focus on all aspects of cancer care, including treatment, prevention and supportive care.

Clinical trials are responsible for many of the improvements in cancer care, said Bettello.

“We are much better able to control side effects such as nausea and vomiting, and breast cancer outcomes have improved dramatically thanks to targeted molecular therapy using monoclonal antibodies. I’ve seen some dramatic improvements and responses to different investigative therapies.”

Bettello reserves special praise for cancer patients and their families who sign on for clinical trials.

“The patients are really courageous. It’s a leap of faith participating in a clinical trial. I have the utmost admiration for them because it’s a difficult time and they have to make difficult decisions. They’re everyday, ordinary people. It’s a very humbling experience.”

The Algoma District clinical trials department was nominated for the ACSO award by the National Cancer Institute of Canada.