CANCER AWARENESS THROUGH RESEARCH

HonorHealth Research Institute - Funding two HHRI projects: 1) Uveal Melanoma Study, and 2) Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor StudyUveal Melanoma:Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare subtype that arises typically in the choroidal body of the eye. Unlike cutaneous (skin) melanoma, UM has been resistant to current immunotherapy and at the present time, there is no FDA approved treatment for this disease making it both a rare and refractory disease. HHRIs goal is to identify novel biomarkers for disease monitoring and diagnosis with the expectation that such biomarkers can be used to identify patients at highest risk for recurrence and utilize these biomarkers as a surrogate endpoint in the adjuvant setting.Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor: Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a rare sarcomatous proliferation of the synovium lining the joints. This disorder typically occurs in young men and women and most often impact the large joints, particularly the knees.By the time patients present for diagnosis, the TGCT proliferation if most often not completely resectable and surgery has limited value. MRI scans have classical features for this diagnosis but suffer from inaccuracy and the fact that a tissue diagnosis is needed to move forward with systemic therapy. Treatment for TGCT includes the orally administered targeted drug pexidartinib which can be associated with the development of liver failure making its use somewhat complex. The lack of a simple diagnostic test, as opposed to having to proceed with surgery and biopsy, places patients at greater risk for complications. We have identified this as a potentially game-changing opportunity since most of these patients present not only with the synovial proliferation but also with a detectable joint effusion (fluid) that can be aspirated. HHRI is proposing to subject new diagnosed and untreated patients to a joint effusion aspiration as well as the necessary surgical biopsy (if not already performed) to develop an effusion-driven biomarker analysis allowing an alternate mechanism for securing the diagnosis of TGCT