PHOENIX — Glioblastoma does not discriminate. The malignant tumors are hard to treat and can affect anyone, no matter the age or health status.
Doctors in the Valley are trying to find a cure to a disease that's taken many lives, and most recently, the life of Senator John McCain.
The Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute is taking a bold approach by using Phase 0 testing in patient clinical trials.
Typically, trials are done in three phases: 1,2 and 3. Phase 1 explores the right dose of drug for patients. Phase 2 answers whether there's a possibility of clinical effect. Phase 3 must prove there's clinical effect.
But years ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved Phase 0 for clinical trials, and the Ivy Brain Tumor Center has since adopted Phase 0 for brain tumor trials.
This allows doctors to speed up the process of the trial by exploring newly approved drugs more quickly.
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