Physicians and staff of the Cancer Care and Research Center at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute received recognition recently for accruals in the Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.
TMIST is the first randomized trial to compare 2-D and 3-D mammography to see which is better at early detection of aggressive breast cancers. It is the largest clinical trial ever sponsored by NCI. Enrollment in the research project was conducted through radiology at Marshfield Medical Center (medical offices).
“We are proud to be part of this important study that is comparing these two types of mammography," said Kristie Guite, M.D., lead investigator and radiologist who specializes in mammography with Marshfield Clinic Health System.
Through the work of Dr. Guite and her team, the Wisconsin National Community Oncology Research Program (WiNCORP) received the Silver Certificate of Excellence for outstanding achievement in patient enrollments for TMIST.
“I want to commend Dr. Guite and her team for their continued work on this research study," said Adedayo Onitilo, M.D., Ph.D., Cancer Care and Research medical director. “Prevention and early detection continues to be the best chance of treating breast cancer. This study will allow us to find even more information to help in the fight against breast cancer."
TMIST is comparing two types of digital mammography approved by the Food and Drug Administration: tomosynthesis (known as three-dimensional, or 3-D) and conventional (two-dimensional, or 2-D). Although 3-D mammography, being the newer technology, is likely to detect more findings that require follow-up, it also is likely to lead to more procedures and treatments. It is not known if this recent improvement in mammography technology is reducing the chances for a woman to develop a life-threatening (advanced) cancer compared with 2-D mammography. The TMIST trial aims to find out.
Cancer Care and Research Center partners with Gundersen Health System and ThedaCare to form WiNCORP, which is a NCI-supported network that brings cancer prevention clinical trials and cancer care delivery research to people in their communities. All WiNCORP partners opened TMIST to their patients.
As a member of WiNCORP, the Health System and its partners provide access to NCI-sponsored clinical trials to over 680,000 community members within its collective, largely rural, service area spanning most of Wisconsin, upper Michigan and adjacent counties in northern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota.
WiNCORP has accrued nearly 9,000 people for clinical trials during the program's history. The Health System participates in many clinical trials in different specialties, including more than 120 oncology clinical trials actively enrolling adult and pediatric patients.
WiNCORP recently was awarded a $15.6 million National Institutes of Health grant for the next six years to continue providing access to clinical trials.