Dr. Bilchik awarded National Institute of Health (NIH) grant for Colon Cancer Trial

Nov. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- www.corigroup.org  – Anton J. Bilchik, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., in collaboration with California Oncology Research Institute (CORI), University California Los Angeles and the United States Military Cancer Institute, recently received National Cancer Institute funding to do the first international colon cancer trial evaluating the role of quality surgery, standardized pathology and molecular profiling.

Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.  The CORI Group has shown that there is a great deal of variation in the quality of surgery and pathology. Surgeons are not removing enough lymph nodes and small cancer cells are being missed by pathologists because of inadequate pathology staging techniques. This work has been presented at international conferences and published in several peer-review journals.

“The results of this trial will have a major impact on how colon cancer is managed in the world, explains Dr. Bilchik.  “Our goal is to help identify those patients that are cured by surgery alone and those that may benefit from additional chemotherapy.”  With participating sites including UCLA and at Walter Reed medical centers, the program is designed to accrue 300 patients over two years with a 3 year follow up.

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About CORI Group: Since its inception in Santa Monica, California in 2008, the California Oncology Research Institute (CORI) has been committed to providing early diagnosis and treatment of cancer through clinical and basic science research focusing on surgical technologies, along with innovative and novel treatments. Through scientific collaborations and alliances, CORI has established itself not only as a regional cancer institute in Southern California, but also as a global leader in cancer research with a strong presence across four continents. CORI can be found online at http://www.corigroup.org.