Clinical Corner
Surviving Childhood Cancer: Lennox's Story
Surviving Childhood Cancer: Lennox’s Story
June 26, 2017, was the worst day of Gary and Carly Allen’s lives. It was the day their child, 2 1/2-year-old Lennox Allen, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor.
Before the nightmare began, the couple were living an idyllic life. Gary Allen, D.O., a family medicine resident at UF Health Shands Hospital, was working hard to serve patients while taking care of a growing family. Carly was a stay-at-home mom for their two little boys, Austin and Lennox, with another one on the way.
It didn’t come as a surprise to the young family when Lennox began experiencing morning vomiting episodes. Their oldest, Austin, had also vomited frequently when he was young. However, Carly noticed that there seemed to be a pattern with Lennox. He would get fussy, grab the back of his head and then suddenly vomit.
Concerned about her son, Carly took him in for a pediatric check-up. Tests showed no signs of gastrointestinal problems, yet Lennox’s symptoms persisted.
On June 24, 2017, Gary came home from work and noticed that Lennox was walking unsteadily. Having studied signs of brain abnormalities in medical school, Gary knew that Lennox’s symptoms — including vomiting, headaches and an unsteady gait — were common signs that something was very wrong neurologically.
After sharing his concern with Carly, Gary took Lennox to the UF Health Shands Pediatric Emergency Room. Within an hour, while Lennox watched his favorite TV show, Paw Patrol, the emergency physician called Gary out into the hallway and gently broke the news. Lennox had been diagnosed with a large posterior fossa brain tumor. The physician told Gary that neurosurgery would be inevitable in the coming days.
Clinical Trial Highlight: Refractory Cancers
This issue of the UFHCC Connection highlights clinical trials currently recruiting patients with refractory malignancies.
Questions about how to send a patient? Please contact the Clinical Trials Office at cancer-center@ufl.edu or 352.273.8675
This phase II/III study investigates whether the combination of cediranib and olaparib compared to cediranib or olaparib alone or standard of care chemotherapy in women with recurrent platinum-resistant or refractory ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer improves progression free survival.
Principal Investigator: Merry Markham, MD, cell: 352.262.1072
This open-label, single arm study is investigating the use of niraparib (an oral PARPinhibitor) in patients with tumors known to have mutations in BAP1 and a variety of other DNA damage response pathway genes. The primary aim is to determine the objective response rate of patients with BAP1 and other DDR repair pathway deficiencies. Cohorts include the histologies above (regardless of mutation) as well as any tumor histology witha confirmed DDR repair pathway mutation.
Principal Investigator: Thomas George, MD, cell: 352.339.6672
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