FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A 58-year-old man is now in remission after participating in a clinical trial at The University of Arkansas Medical Sciences.
Dwight Hamilton, who had been battling stage 4 renal cell carcinoma for four years, experienced multiple recurrences of his cancer despite undergoing standard treatments.
Hamilton’s turnaround came after participating in a Phase 1 clinical trial that tested a new immunotherapy, a first-in-human study conducted at UAMS and 45 other nationwide hospitals.
The study was overseen by Dr. Michael Birrer, director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and UAMS vice chancellor.
Dr. Birrer says that he was a part of the Harvard system and was in other states before moving to Arkansas and realized the lack of access to clinical trials for Arkansans. Once he joined UAMS, he made it his priority to begin offering stronger clinical trials to Arkansans.
Dr. Birrer commented on the significance of recent developments in oncology drug development, stating, “In the last 15 years, drug development within the field of oncology has exploded. These developments continue to expand our ability to deliver more precise, targeted approaches that can potentially lead to improved outcomes and quality of life for some cancer patients.”