Through a clinical trial, Dr. Deirdre J. Cohen was able to provide her patient Michelle with a treatment plan to keep her cancer-free.
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In February 2017, medical oncologist Deirdre J. Cohen, MD, director of the at Ƶ’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, met Michelle, a patient who recently had been declared free of esophageal cancer after receiving chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
“Michelle was very excited to do everything she could to make sure the cancer was not going to come back,” Dr. Cohen tells the Cancer Research Institute. “And so she was ready to embark on a clinical trial.”
Patients at a similar stage as Michelle are at extremely high risk of cancer recurring. Dr. Cohen identified her as an ideal candidate for a trial using nivolumab, an immunotherapy medication that helps the immune system fight cancer. Since completing the trial, Michelle has been cancer-free for 14 months.
“To see her living fully is priceless,” Dr. Cohen says.
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