Contact SCOR
Southeast Clinical Oncology
Research Consortium
2150 Country Club Road,
Suite 200
Winston Salem, NC 27104
T: (336) 448-1417
F: (336) 448-1425
Member Communities
Asheville, NC – Messino
Cary, NC
Charleston, SC
Charlotte, NC
Chesapeake, VA
Cookeville, TN
Florence, SC
Fort Myers, FL
Gastonia, NC
Goldsboro, NC
Greensboro, NC
Hampton Roads, VA
Hendersonville, NC – Pardee
Hendersonville, NC – AdventHealth
Kingsport, TN
Martinsville, VA
New Bern, NC
Pinehurst, NC
Richmond, VA
Rocky Mount, NC
Savannah, GA
Wilmington, NC
Winston-Salem, NC
Clinical trials at CarolinaEast offer cancer patients best care close to home
/in Cancer, Cancer Clinical Trial, CarolinaEast Medical Center, Clinical Trials New Bern, NCI, NCORP, New Bern, new bern nc cancer center, SECU Comprehensive Cancer CenterFrom New Bern Sun Journal
By Jim Ware, Sun Journal Correspondent
Posted Sep 2, 2020
Margaret Pardini of Havelock had lung cancer surgery Oct. 30 at the SECU Comprehensive Cancer Center at CarolinaEast Medical Center.
As with most cancer patients preparing to undergo chemotherapy, Pardini was concerned about its common side effects – nausea and vomiting. A widow, Pardini also was concerned about the financial burden she might face from taking an expensive drug routinely given to combat those side effects.
“Granted, I do have insurance, but I don’t know how far the insurance would have paid and how I would have survived having to pay for an expensive drug,” she said.
Because CarolinaEast is part of the Southeast Clinical Research Consortium, supported by the National Cancer Institute, Pardini was able to enroll in a clinical trial at the hospital before starting chemo in January.
The trial tests the effectiveness of Olanzapine, an FDA-approved anti-psychotic drug, with or without the more expensive standard-of-care drug fosaprepitant in preventing nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy, said Lynn Harrison, clinical research nurse at the cancer center.
Margaret Pardini, a lung cancer patient who participated in a clinical trial is with Lynn Harrision, a clinical research nurse at the SECU Cancer Center. [Contributed photo]
“One of the major fears of patients when they are about to get chemotherapy is that they’re going to have nausea and vomiting,” Harrison said. “It is considered by patients to be a severe side effect.”
The study is gathering further evidence that Olanzapine should be recommended for use to help with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, she said.
Study participants are divided into two groups. One group receives Olanzapine and three other drugs, including fosaprepitant. The second group receives the same drugs except for the fosaprepitant, which is replaced with a placebo, a substance with no effects.
Pardini later found out she was in the group that received Olanzapine and the other drugs, but a placebo instead of fosaprepitant.
She said she was a little afraid of receiving chemo because everybody told her she would get sick.
“I never got sick, which was great on my part,” Pardini said. “I had no ill effects from being in this study at all.”
About the clinical trial
Alliance Study A221602 – Olanzapine with or without fosaprepitant for the prevention of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy: A phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Harrison said just because Pardini’s experience during chemotherapy was side-effect free, researchers can’t generalize that’s going to be the result of the study overall.
“That’s just this patient’s experience,” she said.
Harrison said Pardini’s participation in the trial was double-blind during the first cycle of chemotherapy.
“I don’t know what she’s getting, the doctor doesn’t know what she’s getting, and the patient doesn’t know what she’s getting,” Harrison said, referring to the anti-nausea drugs. “In her case, she got placebo.”
If the patients have no nausea and vomiting, and they want to continue with the study for the remainder of their chemotherapy, they let the research staff know, she said.
“We unblind everyone so that we know what the patient got and then we continue to let them receive exactly what they got in the first cycle,” Harrison said. “Then we continue to collect data about their side effects, nausea and vomiting, and whether they had to take any relief medication for breaks from nausea.”
Pardini said she had a great experience at the cancer center and in the trial.
“I couldn’t ask for better care than what I got,” she said. “They kept me informed. They were always there for me.”
Her fourth and final cycle of chemo was March 10, but Pardini’s participation in the trial continued for a month afterward so she could be monitored for side effects and adverse events, Harrison said. Pardini completed the study April 10.
So far, the hospital has had five patients complete the phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that was opened in 2018, Harrison said.
“In the cancer center we have about 10 interventional trials – sometimes called treatment trials – open,” she said.
Including other trials, such as those that look at the way the center delivers cancer care, the hospital has a total of about 13 studies currently open.
Harrison said she joined CarolinaEast in 2016 because the cancer center needed a research program at the community level to offer its patients opportunities to participate in clinical trials.
Clinical trials are now considered the best care of a patient who has cancer, Harrison said.
“There’s a misconception that trials are only to be offered to patients who don’t have any other alternatives, or they’ve exhausted all other therapies,” she said. “But that’s not the case anymore. Trials should be looked at as treatment options. We have so many different types of trials that they can sometimes be used from the point of diagnosis.”
Trials are generally covered by health insurances and Medicare, Harrison said. Patients still should get prior authorization before participating, she said.
Because CarolinaEast is a member of the Southeast Clinical Research Consortium, funded by the National Cancer Institute, the hospital has access to multiple research organizations that write research protocols and offer those at the community level, Harrison said.
The trial Pardini participated in is a National Cancer Institute-supported trial and the research base for the trial is the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, Harrison said.
“What we’re doing here is participating in practice-changing research,” she said. “It’s really exciting for us to be able to offer this to our patients locally at home instead of them having to travel to UNC or Duke to get a therapy that’s cutting edge.”
CarolinaEast opens doors on new SECU Comprehensive Cancer Center
/in New Bern, new bern nc cancer center, new cancer center, UncategorizedFrom New Bern Sun Journal
By Todd Wetherington, Jan 17, 2020
Located on the west side of the Medical Center’s main campus in New Bern, the three-story Cancer Center will offer radiation oncology, medical oncology, nutrition services, social worker and psychological support services, and a palliative care and survivorship program, among other services.
In November 2014, CarolinaEast Medical Center and UNC Cancer Care announced a collaboration to bring comprehensive cancer services previously available only in the Raleigh/Durham Triangle region to the eastern part of the state. Ground was broken on the 80,000 square feet, $37 million Cancer Center in January 2017. The first floor features a radiation oncology clinic and treatment areas, an infusion suite with six semi-private infusion bays and two private rooms, a specialty pharmacy, a cafe, a boutique with oncology-related supplies, group support session rooms, and palliative care. The Cancer Center’s second floor includes a medical oncology clinic with 12 exam rooms and six patient assessment bays, an infusion suite with both semi-private and private rooms, and a chemotherapy mixing pharmacy. The third floor is devoted to administration offices and an education department with classrooms and computer labs.
According to Brandy Popp, CarolinaEast Health System public relations and outreach manager, the Cancer Center will begin receiving patients on Monday, Jan. 20. Popp said an open house, ribbon cutting ceremony for the public is planned for Saturday, Jan. 25.
A new $13 million diagnostic center is also nearing completion adjacent to the Cancer Center to facilitate efficient imaging services related to cancer prevention, treatment and diagnosis. UNC Health System will collaborate to provide access to clinical trials, outreach, and telehealth.
The Cancer Center’s spacious design features a bright, pastel palette, abundant natural light and artwork inspired by the region’s beaches and rivers.
Dawn Peele, executive director of the SECU Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the facility would offer patients a “one-stop shop” for cancer treatment that would allow them to avoid traveling long distances to several different locations.
“It’s amazing. It’s been a long journey but it was a worthwhile effort and it’s going to bring something to our community that will have a tremendous impact. We couldn’t have done it without the community. We just had so much support that it’s overwhelming,” said Peele.
New Bern Alderman Jeffrey Odham, a member of the CarolinaEast Health System Board of Directors, said the Cancer Center was the culmination of a years-long process.
“It’s a longtime coming and it was not without its challenges, to say the least. But the staff did a great job getting everything together. This is truly monumental for New Bern, there’s no doubt about that,” said Odham.
Local realtor Steve Tyson said the Cancer Center exceeded his expectations.
“This is one of the most incredible architectural structures I’ve ever been in. If you have to have cancer this is going to be a nice place to go, it’s peaceful,” he commented. “It’s going to be a great asset to this community.”
According to information from CarolinaEast Health System, annually more than 2,600 new cancers occur in Craven, Jones, Pamlico, Lenoir, Carteret, Onslow and Beaufort counties combined. CarolinaEast was the first provider in coastal North Carolina to offer radiation therapy beginning in 1977.
During a program following the Cancer Center tour, Dr. Ray Leggett, president/CEO, CarolinaEast Health Systems, thanked donors and board members, including the Harold H. Bate Foundation, the SECU Foundation, Champ and ET Mitchell, and Reba Aylward. Leggett also recognized the work of the CarolinaEast staff and spoke about the impact the new Cancer Center will have locally.
“What you’re doing makes a difference in people’s lives. Thank you for your remarkable commitment and for sharing in our vision of cancer care in this region. It’s a proud day,” said Leggett. “I hope none of you ever have to set foot in that building again, but unfortunately some of us sitting here today will need that comprehensive cancer center at some point in the future.”
“He wore it on his sleeve every day that he wanted this to be the finest healthcare facility there was anywhere in the state of North Carolina,” said Hardison. “We have a terrific dedicated staff who have pulled this together and for that we are deeply appreciative.”
Hardison also spoke about the difficulties health care facilities like CarolinEast face in the 21st century.
“We don’t know who’s going to come in the door and we don’t know if they can pay or not, but they get the same healthcare regardless. We spent about the same amount of money on the cancer center as we spent on free healthcare last year for those who could not or would not pay, and we do that every year and it’s a challenge for community hospitals,” noted Hardison.
UNC Health Care CEO Dr. Wesley Burks described the new Cancer Center as an “amazing feat.” He said he had recently gained a new appreciation for the work done by cancer care facilities.
“Two years ago my wife developed breast cancer. She had four surgeries within a year. So I’ve been in a waiting room in a different way than I was three years ago,” he commented. “As a physician and as a leader of the healthcare system, I see things differently now.”
Bibianna Contti, a member of the SECU Advisory Board, said she was excited to have a state of the art cancer care facility in New Bern.
“It just warms my heart to know that my friends and family can stay local right here in New Bern and not go to Chapel Hill or Greenville but stay right here where we can take care of our own,” said Contti. “New Bern needed this.”
2019 Colors for Cancer to benefit Journey of Hope
/in New BernA 10K/5K/1 Mile powdered COLOR run to benefit the Journey of Hope Cancer Support Center.
2019 Craig Brake Memorial Colors 4 Cancer 10k, 5k and 1 mile run/walk is a color run which benefits the Journey of Hope Cancer Support Center in New Bern, NC. Journey of Hope helps patients and families cope with the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of cancer by offering programs such as peer support groups, survivorship program, art therapy, yoga/exercise, and other various programs. We are a comprehensive cancer resource center in Eastern North Carolina for people with cancer and their caregivers, to let them know they are not alone and we are here to support them in all aspects of this journey. We are a non for profit organization that supports 100% LOCAL people/families. >>READ MORE