Iowa Clinical Trial Could Help Colon Cancer Patients Avoid Surgery

It’s a disturbing trend—and one with more questions than answers.

By 2030, the deadliest form of cancer for individuals 50 and under will be colorectal cancer. Saima Sharif, a medical oncologist at University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, says that changes in gut microbiome due to diet and lifestyle choices may be one reason why.

PHOTO COURTESY UI HEALTH CARE Oncologist Saima Sharif

“When patients in their 30s and 40s are experiencing abdominal pain or pain for more than a month when they go to the bathroom, it may not always be taken seriously,” says Sharif. “Colorectal cancer may not be on their doctors’ radar because the patient is younger, which delays their care. Continued patient and primary care doctor education is key.”

To find ways to better support colon cancer patients, Sharif recently launched a clinical trial to see if immunotherapy is a viable treatment option that could potentially help individuals avoid surgery. Immunotherapy, which uses the patient’s immune system to find and destroy cancer cells, has been successful in treating other forms of cancer—especially rectal cancer.

“We’re looking to see if colon cancer responds to the immunotherapy similarly to rectal cancers and only recommend surgery if the tumor grows or moves,” says Sharif, whose clinical trial is currently enrolling stage two and stage three patients. Clinical trials provide patients with more treatments—including access to new drugs and therapies—and helps researchers discover future treatments.

If the results are what Sharif hopes, clinical trials at the national level would follow before this practice is enacted as a standard of care. To help catch colorectal cancer as early as possible, Sharif encourages individuals to get their colonoscopy screenings at age 45—and repeat every 10 years. Based on family history of colon cancer, screening for colonoscopy sooner than 45 may be recommended.

“Colorectal cancers are slow growing, and by getting your colonoscopy screening at 45, hopefully we can catch some of these cancers that aren’t showing symptoms yet,” she says.

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center: ‘Moving the Needle’

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa—which serves patients from all 99 Iowa counties and from nearly every U.S. state—is the only cancer center in the Hawkeye State designated as comprehensive by the National Cancer Institute.

One of only 56 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers nationwide, the distinction recognizes Holden—and its research scientists, physicians, and other health care professionals—for leadership in cancer prevention, clinical services, and research. It also means that patients have access to emerging drugs, therapies, and treatments that have the potential to improve outcomes.

“Clinical trials advance cures and improve treatments every day,” says Sharif. “It’s the No. 1 thing moving the needle. We’re the only hospital in Iowa to have investigator-initiated trials, like mine. We work closely with our counterparts in the lab and bring this cutting-edge research from bench to bedside for our cancer patients.”

While clinical trials rely on various funding sources, charitable gifts move these efforts forward. Sharif’s research is funded by the donor-supported Holden Family Precision Oncology Research Fund and a colon cancer research fund created by former Iowa City mayor Darrel Courtney (72BA) and his wife, Cynthia.