The UF Health Integrative Medicine Program is an outgrowth of UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine, one of the largest arts in health care programs in the nation. With support from UF Health leadership, Irene Estores, M.D., assumed the role of the program’s medical director in 2013 and, along with Arts in Medicine director Tina Mullen, began building a small team of integrative medicine practitioners and instructors.

Today, providers of clinic services such as medical acupuncture and integrative medicine consultation include Dr. Estores, Dr. Marika Alois, and David McMahon. Additionally, through Arts and Medicine supportive care hospital services are also being offered to patients in adult and pediatric hematology/oncology, heart and lung transplant and palliative care; this includes meditation, relaxation, yoga, tai chi, qigong and massage therapy sessions at no cost to the recipients.

For more information about bedside service, please email ufhitm@shands.ufl.edu or call 352.733.0881.

Furthermore, the new UF Health Supportive Oncology Program is specifically designed to serve cancer patients by combining integrative medicine and palliative care with traditional oncology practices. Faculty and staff offer a holistic approach to cancer care focused on improving quality of life for patients and their families. The program provides patients with more information about their condition, treatment options and pain and symptom management. Integrative medicine consultations and advanced care planning are also offered. Irene Estores, M.D., oversees integrative medicine services for the program and Paige Comstock Barker, M.D., oversees palliative care services.

The UF Health Integrative Medicine Program offers consultations and services at the UF Health Integrative Medicine — Executive Health location on Mondays and Thursdays and at UF Health Hematology/Oncology on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Both clinics are located at the Davis Cancer Pavilion. Patient referrals can be made by calling 352.265.WELL (9355)

This month, we’re highlighting several clinical trials currently recruiting patients with refractory malignancies.

TAS-102 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors With Renal Impairment

This is a Phase 1, open-label study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of TAS-102 in patients with advanced solid tumors with varying degrees of renal impairment.

Principal Investigator: Thomas George, M.D., cell 352.339.6672

Phase I/II Clinical Trial of Oral Ciproflaxacin and Etoposide in Subjects with Resistant Acute Myeloid Leukemia

This is an investigator-initiated clinical trial that is based on the discovery of the importance of the Metnase complex in repairing chemotherapy-related DNA damage in leukemia. Ciprofloxacin has been identified as a Metnase inhibitor that chemosensitizes leukemic myeloblasts to etoposide chemotherapy. The primary aims are to determine the maximum tolerated dose of ciprofloxacin that can be given in combination with a fixed dose of etoposide and determine the efficacy of the combination treatment in adults with resistant AML.

Principal Investigator: Randy Brown, M.D., cell 859.221.6828

DART: Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors (SWOG1609)

This Phase 2 umbrella trial is a sister study to the NCI-MATCH but specifically for rare histologies (nearly 50 such diagnoses) in patients who have been screened with next generation sequencing for MATCH, but for whom do not have a molecular treatment match.  Treatment for all such patients includes nivolumab and ipilimumab.

Principal Investigator: Thomas George, M.D., cell 352.339.6672

Panobinostat/Bortezomib/Dexamethasone in Relapsed or Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (PANORAMA 3)

This is a Phase 2 study to investigate the safety and efficacy of three different regimens of panobinostat in combination with subcutaneous bortezomib and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Patients can only have received one to three prior lines of therapy, must have had prior IMiD exposure, and cannot be relapsed or refractory to bortezomib.

Principal Investigator: Jan Moreb, M.D. cell: 352.219.3787