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When Jeanette Nielsen was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, she turned to the professional care teams and clinical trials at Huntsman Cancer Institute. "We knew that clinical trials in the past made treatments possible for the present, which I benefited from. Now I want to pay it forward so future patients can benefit as well."

After their son Ty passed away from a malignant rhabdoid tumor, Cindy and Lou Campbell started The Ty Louis Campbell Foundation in his honor. Their focus is funding childhood cancer research that could lead to improved prognoses for kids like Ty. Their work led them to collaborating with Samuel Cheshier, MD, PhD, a pediatric neurosurgeon and cancer researcher, at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Huntsman Cancer Institute serves a geographic region larger than any National Cancer Institute cancer center and nearly 30% of patients travel more than 150 miles for visits. With rural residents already at a disadvantage due to their distance from quality medical care, Huntsman Cancer Institute is dedicated to lessening the burden felt by rural residents of the Mountain West through clinical trials.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has announced the latest updates to its innovative adaptive clinical trial, Precision PromiseSM, including the addition of an investigational treatment from global healthcare company, Novartis, as well as the opening of five additional sites across the country, including at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Clinical trials provide important information to researchers and could benefit cancer patients during their treatment. In her role as a clinical trials coordinator, Elyse D’Astous is the connection between these two ends of the care spectrum. Whether it’s tracking a trial’s efficacy or helping a patient keep everything organized, clinical trials coordinators are there to support the advancement of cancer research and treatment.

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is one of the select sites in the United States to offer a new clinical trial for glioblastoma patients, called GBM AGILE. The clinical trial is using an approach that offers study participants multiple new glioblastoma drugs from different pharmaceutical companies.

“We want to help individuals with cancer receive the best imaging possible,” says Matt Covington, MD. Dr. Covington is a radiologist at Huntsman Cancer Institute who specializes in cancer imaging. In this Letter of Hope, he explains why he is passionate about his research and how advances in cancer imaging can help patients today and in the future.

Douglas Sborov, MD, MS, discusses the work being done by the multiple myeloma and clinical trials programs at Huntsman Cancer Institute. He also shares why this work is so meaningful and how a Robin Williams character resonates with him in this latest Talks with Docs.