Legacy Salmon Creek study featured in medical journal

Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center participated in a clinical trial for an ovarian cancer drug that generated promising results in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this year.

The trial included 15 patients enrolled through Legacy Health in Portland and Vancouver. Two patients were enrolled through the Salmon Creek location.

About 22,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. each year, and more than 14,000 women die from it each year, according to statistics provided by Legacy Health. It’s the fifth deadliest cancer for women. The study examined a drug called Niraparib, which has been on the market as a treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer.

For the study, Niraparib was explored as a maintenance therapy for newly diagnosed patients who have recently completed chemotherapy. The results discovered that Niraparib gives women with ovarian cancer longer periods of time until a recurrence of the disease.

Dr. Colleen McCormick, a Legacy Salmon Creek gynecologic-oncologist and Legacy’s primary investigator for the study, said it was exciting to have a hospital in Vancouver mentioned in such an important publication. Legacy Cancer Institute was the largest U.S. contributor to the study, which was published in late September.

“The New England Journal of Medicine is kind of the pinnacle of where things get published,” McCormick said. “It’s very humbling and very exciting to get in a publication that will probably change the standard of care for ovarian cancer treatment.”

Niraparib also proved to have fewer harsh side effects than other treatment options, which means it can be taken for a longer period of time. McCormick said patients were interested in the study and its results.

“It gives them a sense of pride in being able to move science forward,” she said.