In early 2015, King's Daughters joined with the University of Kentucky's
Markey Cancer Center Research Network, a newly launched initiative conducting
high-priority cancer research through a network of collaborative centers
in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.
KDMC has participated in research with Markey for more than 25 years, enrolling
more than 350 patients from nine surrounding counties in nearly 50 different
clinical trials. The Markey Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute
designated cancer center, the only one in the state of Kentucky.
Clinical research studies are key to developing new methods to prevent,
detect and treat cancer, and most treatments used today are the result
of previous clinical studies. These may include studies in which patients
receive their therapy under the observation of specially trained cancer
doctors and staff. Patients who volunteer for cancer treatment studies
will receive either standard therapy or a new treatment that represents
the researchers' best new ideas for how to improve cancer care.
As a member of the Markey Research Network, the physicians at King's Daughters
will offer the opportunity to consider participation in clinical research
studies to their patients, with the patients remaining under the direct
care of the KDMC-based physician. This allows patients to remain close
to home during treatment while still receiving the benefit of the latest
thinking in the treatment of cancer.
KDMC's history of cancer research
For nearly 30 years, King's Daughters Medical Center has worked with some
of the top names in the field of cancer research to advance knowledge
and treatment for all patients here in the Tri-State and throughout the world.
We enrolled our first patient in a cancer research trial in June 1988 -
a study to assess the effectiveness of a certain drug in the treatment
of breast cancer. Since that time, KDMC has enrolled hundreds of cancer
patients in research studies investigating the effectiveness of new medications,
medication combinations, prevention strategies and early detection efforts.
Research protocols are offered through:
The Kentucky Clinical Trials Network
The Southwest Oncology Group
The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project
The National Cancer Institute's Clinical Trials Support Unit.
King’s Daughters cancer registry began in 1991, collecting data from
all cancer patients diagnosed and treated at the medical center. This
data, collected electronically, plays a vital role in the ongoing evaluation
of cancer care — treatments, planning, staging and continuity of care.
