What is BTTC?
BTTC was created in 2004 as a network of medical centers with the expertise and strong desire to participate in state-of-the-art clinical trials investigating new treatments for malignant brain tumors. The University of Texas — M. D. Anderson Cancer Center serves as the lead institution and provides the administrative infrastructure, clinical database and oversight for the collaborative.
Several additional brain cancer-focused medical centers have since joined the BTTC. Together with M.D. Anderson, these institutions will allow patients across a broad geographic range to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials and more rapidly determine the benefits of various therapies.
Current BTTC members include: Lead institution M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The Angeles Clinic, Baylor University Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Northshore University Health System, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center-Orlando, Medical University of South Carolina, Methodist Hospital System, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ohio State University James Cancer Center, and University of Texas-Southwestern. Also, the following institutions have joined the collaborative recently: University of Virginia, University of Washington, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Recently, the BTTC has been identified to take the lead for a study of a new promising antiangiogenic (attacks tumor blood vessels) agent that demonstrates excellent activity against brain tumors in animal model systems. Dr. Mark Gilbert of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center anticipates that the BTTC will be quickly recognized as a major contributor to advancing the treatment of patients with brain tumors.
Additionally, the BTTC has undertaken a major effort to study the symptoms suffered by patients with brain tumors. Work by Dr. Terri Armstrong at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center clearly demonstrates that many patients have a high symptom burden, but the symptoms experienced by brain tumor patients are different from those experienced by other cancer patients.
Dr. Armstrong developed a tool to specifically measure symptoms in patients with brain tumors. Dr. Gilbert explained, "We plan to use some of your financial support to develop a comprehensive plan to longitudinally study symptoms and then expand this effort to look at interventions for these issues.
