Data collection named in spirit of space mission
Clarence Massey (above, left) received treatment for his
prostate cancer at the Brooklyn campus of
the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System. He is with radiation therapist Nader
Girgis, who was part of his treatment team. (Photo by Mitch Mirkin)
As an Air Force mechanic in the 1960s, Clarence Massey worked on
bombers and fighter jets in Vietnam.
More than four decades later, in 2010, he became immersed in
another battle. The resident of New York City’s historic Harlem neighborhood
underwent nine weeks of radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
The treatment itself wasn’t too bad, he recalls, but the side effects
hit him “like a ton of bricks,” says Massey, now 72.
Massey’s outcome was a good one. He’s been in remission. He
gives credit to his VA doctors, but, he says, “Mostly I give credit to God. I’m
blessed.”
In the years since Massey’s bout with cancer, biomedicine has
come a long way—especially when it comes to analyzing genes and proteins. VA
and two federal partners—the Department of Defense and the National Cancer
Institute—are looking to harness the power of this science through an effort
dubbed APOLLO, in the spirit of the famous space mission that landed men on the
moon. The research program is described in full detail in an article now
online in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
The project initially launched in 2016 under the federal Cancer Moonshot,
a broader effort likewise inspired by the space theme.
It’s all about precision oncology
The full title of APOLLO sounds complex: Applied Proteogenomics
Organizational Learning and Outcomes. But the overarching goal is simple:
individualize cancer treatment. That’s what “precision oncology” is all about.
“Each patient is unique, and each tumor is unique,”
explains Dr. Craig
Shriver, one of the architects of APOLLO. He directs the Murtha
Cancer Center Research Program in the department of surgery at the Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Maryland.
APOLLO, he says, is collecting a wide array of data from
patients, on a scale that is largely unprecedented in cancer research. The data
will be analyzed with the help of sophisticated technology—including artificial
intelligence—and scientists worldwide. Ultimately, the findings will be used to
determine the best precision treatment for a given patient.
The main beneficiaries in the short term will be Veterans and
active-duty troops, as cancer care at VA and military hospitals increasingly
incorporates knowledge gained through APOLLO. The knowledge will eventually
filter into medical care at large, so cancer patients everywhere can see better
treatment.
Goal is 8,000 patients in five years
APOLLO is starting operations at 10 military hospitals and one
VA site (Palo Alto), with additional VA sites likely to be on board by late
2019. There is also one civilian hospital involved, Anne Arundel Medical Center
in Maryland. Cancer patients at these facilities can agree to have their
information—including molecular results from their tumors—added to the growing
APOLLO research database. All information is coded, so patients are not
personally identifiable to researchers. The enrollment target is 8,000 patients
over five years.
The effort will work hand in hand with VA’s Precision
Oncology Program. Through POP, increasing numbers of VA patients
with cancer are having their tumors genetically analyzed, so their physicians
can prescribe more targeted therapies, or so they can be referred to
appropriate clinical trials.
Vietnam Veteran Clarence Massey is thankful his battle with
cancer is long behind him. For others his age and younger who are destined to
face a similar challenge, APOLLO and its deep dive into the science of cancer
is likely to mean better treatment, and added years of life.
To read a longer version of this article, visit VA Research
Currents.
May 13 – 17 is Research Week “The Science of Hope”
VA Research Week gives
VA medical centers an opportunity to showcase the numerous achievements of VA
researchers and the role they play in providing high-quality care for Veterans
and advancing medical science. Creative displays, staff interactions, and
informative seminars help educate Veterans, our elected representatives, and
others about VA research and its impact on treating and preventing disease and
disability, not only for Veterans but all Americans.
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