The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is participating in the National Cancer Institute’s TMIST (Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial).

The study compares two standard breast cancer screening methods: tomosynthesis (3D) mammograms and digital (2D) mammograms, and is designed to help researchers determine whether one method is better than the other at finding life-threatening breast cancers.

The study involves 100 clinics and includes 165,000 women in the United States and Canada. The UAMS Breast Center has enrolled 290 participants to date and is able to include even more women.

“By participating in this research study, you can help determine the most effective type of mammogram and how often women should receive screening,” said Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D., chief of breast imaging at UAMS and local principal investigator for the trial.

In a briefing held Oct. 7, NCI leaders stated, “We need women to take part to make sure breast cancer screening of the future is appropriate for all women. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to share the importance of screening mammograms and early detection.”

The UAMS TMIST study coordinator is available at (501) 400-3195 or TMISTstudy@uams.edu for anyone wanting to learn more about the study.

Women ages 45 to 74 who plan to get a routine screening mammogram at the UAMS Breast Center are eligible for this trial. Participants are randomly assigned to get either a 3D or 2D mammogram every one or two years for the first five years of the study. Researchers will follow each woman’s breast cancer status for a total of eight years by reviewing medical records and possibly conducting phone interviews.

TMIST was developed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ECOG-ACRIN) Cancer Research Group and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. ECOG-ACRIN leads the trial.

ENHANCE: A randomized, double-blind, multicenter study comparing Magrolimab in combination with Azacitidine versus Azacitidine plus placebo in treatment-naïve patients with higher risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Principal Investigator: Muthu Veeraputhiran, M.D., MPH, FACP, Clinical Program Director, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy 

Sponsor: Gilead Sciences

Patients with intermediate, high and very high risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (HR-MDS) have a median overall survival of 0.8 to 3.7 years. Despite the high unmet need in this patient population, Aazacitidine (AZA) is the only approved therapy for HR-MDS which has improved overall survival in clinical trials to date. Magrolimab is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that blocks the macrophage inhibitory immune checkpoint CD47, a “do not eat me” signal overexpressed on tumor cells. Binding of Magrolimab to CD47 leads to phagocytosis of tumor cells. AZA increases expression of prophagocytic “eat me” signals, facilitating synergy with Magrolimab. In an ongoing phase 1b study, the combination of Magrolimab + AZA led to high response rates (ORR 91%, with a CR of 42%) and an acceptable safety profile without significant immune-related adverse events. 

This is a double-blind multicenter Phase 3 clinical trial with 1:1 randomization to AZA +/- Magrolimab to help treat intermediate and high risk MDS patients with an option of going to allogeneic transplant as decided by the treating hematologist. UAMS is the only center to have this trial option for MDS open in state of Arkansas. 

For more information about this trial contact 501-686-8274