Date: February 11, 2009
Contact: Michele Fisher
Phone: (
732) 235-9872
Email: fisherm2@umdnj.edu
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Offers Trial of Targeted Agent in Bladder Cancer
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – According to the American Cancer Society, 69,000 cases of
bladder cancer were diagnosed nationwide last year with some 2,600 new cases in New Jersey. That is
why researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey are currently investigating a new way to enhance
currently available treatments for the disease. CINJ is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School.
Janice M. Mehnert, MD, medical oncologist at CINJ and assistant professor of medicine at UMDNJ-
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the lead investigator on a study that is testing the effectiveness of
a drug called sorafenib when combined with the drugs gemcitabine and carboplatin, which is a
chemotherapy regimen commonly used in bladder cancer. The trial also is being offered at two other
centers in the Northeast.
Sorafenib is an oral agent that is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the
treatment of kidney cancer. It is considered one of the newer “targeted therapies” which has begun to
receive a lot of attention in recent years. It is thought that sorafenib may have activity against blood
vessels, which nourish bladder tumors and may make current chemotherapy more effective. This study
will test this combination by allowing patients to take sorafenib orally at the same time they are receiving
chemotherapy.
“Our ultimate goal is to improve current therapies for patients with advanced bladder cancer, since current
therapies do not work well at all,” stated Dr. Mehnert. “At The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, our
mission is to develop new treatments for patients that have limited options.” According to the American
Cancer Society, bladder cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer of the genitourinary tract.
The chance of a man developing the disease in his lifetime is one in 27, while for a woman it is one in 85.
Patients with bladder cancer that is advanced may be eligible for the study, as long as they have not had
chemotherapy for their advanced cancer (earlier forms of chemotherapy may be acceptable); if they have
adequate kidney function; and if they meet other eligibility criteria. For more information on how to take
part, individuals should call CINJ’s Office of Human Research Services at 732-235-8675.
Clinical trials, often called cancer research studies, test new treatments and new ways of using existing
treatments for cancer. At CINJ, researchers use these studies to answer questions about how a treatment
affects the human body and to make sure it is safe and effective. There are several types of clinical trials
that are currently underway at CINJ, including those that diagnose, treat, prevent, and manage symptoms
of cancer. Many treatments used today -- whether it is drugs or vaccines; ways to do surgery or give
radiation therapy; or combinations of treatments -- are the results of past clinical trials.
As New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, CINJ provides
patients with access to treatment options not available at other institutions within the state. CINJ currently
enrolls more than 1,00 patients on clinical trials, including approximately 15 percent of all new adult
cancer patients and approximately 70 percent of all pediatric cancer patients. Enrollment in clinical trials
nationwide is fewer than five percent of all adult cancer patients.
About The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (www.cinj.org) is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-
designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection,
treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research,
transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice quite literally bringing research to life. The
Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School. To support CINJ, please call the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation at 1-888-333-CINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a
mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert
Wood Johnson University Hospital. Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, Carol G. Simon
Cancer Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Hospital,
CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital*, Jersey Shore University Medical Center,
JFK Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton
(CINJ at Hamilton), Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County
Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center
at Princeton. *Academic Affiliate