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Moores Clinical Trials Patient Appreciation Day

On May 20, 2024, Moores Cancer Center hosted its first Clinical Trials Patient Appreciation Day. During the event, three patients—and their treating physicians—spoke about their personal experiences as participants in clinical trials at Moores. 

The first patient, Donald Krafft, a local firefighter, fought skin cancer for many years, and after beating it once, it returned. Options were running out for Donald. Ultimately, he found Dr. Soo Park and Dr. Gregory Daniels at UC San Diego, who approached him about enrolling in a clinical trial, which featured a new experimental therapy. Although this therapy was not effective, Donald was a good candidate for a second clinical trial, which featured a treatment that was very effective for Donald, and he came away with a clean bill of health. 

The second patient, Doña Harman, participated in a clinical trial 8 years ago. She had developed an abdominal mass that needed to be removed, and she was referred to Dr. Ramez Eskander, who now serves as Medical Director of the Moores Clinical Trials Office. Doña underwent a successful operation, and Dr. Eskander performed a blood test to determine if she carried a mutation that put her at risk for developing cancer. Indeed, Doña carried the BRCA mutation, which made her eligible for a clinical trial to reduce the risk of her tumor returning. The treatment was effective, and Doña remains cancer free.  

The third patient was Sylvia Marroquin, the Mayor of the City of El Centro. In November 2021, she met Dr. Rana McKay—currently Moores Associate Director of Clinical Science—after her kidney cancer was diagnosed and removed surgically. Unfortunately, Sylvia’s cancer had returned and spread to her liver. She participated in a clinical trial that combined immunotherapy with a special targeted therapy for patients with advanced kidney cancer. This treatment was extremely effective, and Sylvia remains cancer free. Moreover, she continued her work as Mayor throughout the treatment.  

Clinical trials are essential to delivering state-of-the-art patient care and should be considered for every cancer patient. As such, Moores provides clinical trial options for all patients, which make next generation, cutting-edge treatments readily available. Indeed, for many patients, a clinical trial may be the best treatment option, and these three patient stories demonstrate the pivotal role that a clinical trial can play in saving lives. Please take a moment to watch a video of the first Moores Clinical Trials Patient Appreciation Day—you will be inspired.