Clinical Trial Conducted by Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute Physician Leads to New Treatment for Endometrial Cancer Patients
May 17, 2023 | by Our Lady of the Lake Health
BATON ROUGE, LA – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute patients receiving treatment for late-stage endometrial cancer now have a new standard of care that could greatly enhance the likelihood of remission and recovery thanks to a clinical research trial conducted in part by Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute oncologist Sobia Ozair, MD.
Dr. Ozair served as a principal investigator on the nationwide study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that adding immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy treatments greatly improved the chances of survival for patients with stage III or IV endometrial cancer (cancers in the inner lining of the uterus).
Dr. Ozair has already begun utilizing the new standard of care for her patients, who previously had few alternatives.
“Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute has been the region’s destination for cancer care for over 30 years and our commitment to bring the latest treatment options to our patients is stronger than ever.” Dr. Ozair says. “In cancer care, we don’t have a lot of targeted options for treating gynecologic cancers. We are always looking for new trials and innovative solutions that bringing the best possible care to our patients and to our community.”
Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts a person's own immune system to fight cancer so it can find, target and attack cancer cells. The treatment has become the standard of care for many types of cancer over the past decade, but had not been previously studied in the treatment of endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs, with more than 66,000 women diagnosed in the U.S. each year. According to Dr. Ozair, this type of cancer is often not detected until its advanced stages, making treatment more difficult.
Conducted at the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion — a collaborative facility managed by Woman’s Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute and Mary-Bird Perkins Cancer Center — the trial is an example of the important research conducted by Our Lady of the Lake Health that advances the level of care available to patients.
“Our Lady of the Lake practices evidence-based medicine and is working to bring the most cutting-edge research and clinical trials to our patients,” says Cyndi Knox, Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute’s Director of Clinical Research. “These types of clinic trials are how we develop and advance our standard of care, providing patients with world-class treatments right here in Baton Rouge.”
About Our Lady of the Lake Health
Our Lady of the Lake Health is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare ministry based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with more than 7,500 employees committed to serving the Capital Region and building a healthy community through excellence in patient care and education. With an 800-bed Regional Medical Center, a dedicated Children’s Hospital, a 78-bed hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana, two freestanding emergency rooms in outlying parishes, and a 600+ provider Physician Group, Our Lady of the Lake Health provides comprehensive healthcare services for common to complex conditions. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is a primary teaching site for graduate medical education programs in partnership with LSU, and is recognized in the areas of heart and vascular, trauma and emergency care, stroke, cancer care, minimally invasive procedures, and more. Our Lady of the Lake is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. For more information, visit ololrmc.com.