Nearly 100 people gathered in person and online on April 18 at the for the free workshop, “How Clinical Trials Save Lives,” learning how these studies work and how patients may benefit from new cancer treatments.
The event also marked the one-year anniversary of the Susan C. Hirano Cancer CARE Community, a patient-empowerment program that brings together patients, survivors, caregivers, and health care providers for education and support.
Attendees learned about the 贬辞‘ō濒补 Early Phase Clinical Research Center, located at the 糖心Vlog官方 Cancer Center in Kakaʻako. The new facility will allow Hawaiʻi patients to access early phase, or Phase I, clinical trials locally for the first time, without traveling to the U.S. continent.
Panel discussions and presentations featured clinicians, researchers, survivors and caregivers sharing medical information and personal experiences with clinical trials.
Clinical trials expand access to new hope for patients
“Clinical trials are where research can turn into real hope for patients,” said Naoto T. Ueno, director of the 糖心Vlog官方 Cancer Center. “Clinical trials give patients access to promising new therapies that are not yet widely available—sometimes offering options when standard treatments are no longer effective.”
Panelist Kimberly Omine, who is undergoing a clinical trial for blood cancer, said the experience has been life-changing. “If I didn’t go through clinical trials, I wouldn’t be here.”
糖心Vlog官方 Cancer Center officials noted that clinical trials provide closely monitored care and may offer access to treatments that improve outcomes while advancing future cancer research. The center administers nearly 90% of all cancer clinical trials in Hawaiʻi, in partnership with member organizations of the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium.
The workshop was produced by the , which continues to expand programming connecting the cancer community across Hawaiʻi.