Sarcoma immunotherapy trial SRC8 opens accross Canada

The SRC8 clinical trial is now open for enrollment and will investigate whether a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy is more effective than chemotherapy alone for adults with advanced sarcoma, specifically undifferentiated pleomorphic or poorly differentiated sarcoma subtypes. 

“Sarcoma patients in Canada and around the world have been asking for years for trials that formally test if immunotherapy can improve patient outcomes," says Dr. Shantanu Banerji the SRC8 Canadian study chair and Medical Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba. "The study will formally test this question, providing patients access to a class of drugs that has improved outcomes in other cancer types.”

The trial will aim to evaluate the potential benefits of a well-established immunotherapy drug with a known side effect profile that may help the immune system target and destroy cancer cells. 

"As a sarcoma survivor I have been privy to jagged moments with patients and friends in the hospital and it's always the same response - there are no clinical trials for their subset, or they've exhausted all of their options. I happen to work in the hospital lab world and it's exciting to see immunotherapy gain traction in sarcomas after much success in larger cancer groups," says CCTG Patient Representative Jasmine Heuring. "Immunology-based treatment is a rapidly growing answer to the disadvantages of chemotherapy and I am hopeful that this study will be successful in a variety of ways, including as a gateway into future immunology-based treatment for sarcoma cancers."

This trial is open to individuals aged 18 and older with metastatic or unresectable sarcoma. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the chemotherapy (the current standard of care) or immunotherapy plus chemotherapy. The trial is open at cancer centers across Canada.

• SRC8 patient information page >
• SRC8 members trial page >