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Cancer research

HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center is Finland’s largest clinical cancer research center, with more than 150 ongoing studies. We carry out cancer treatment and clinical cancer pharmaceutical studies as academic research and in cooperation with companies. A new cancer drug that does not yet have marketing authorization is the subject in many research projects. With clinical pharmaceutical studies, we are increasing patients’ access to treatments with medicines that are not yet publicly available.

Kuvituskuva, jossa tietokonemallinnettuja hiilimolekyyliketjuja.

Our cancer trials that are recruiting patients

You can apply to become a research patient in clinical cancer research by referral from a physician. The attending physician will also provide us with the necessary information on the eligibility to participate in a study. Below you will find a list of our open-line cancer studies that are recruiting patients. For more information, please contact haluantutkimuspotilaaksi@hus.fi.

CYPIDES

A phase 1 safety and pharmacokinetics study with ODM-208 trial medication in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Principal Investigator: Tapio Utriainen

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for CYPIDES information

BAY 3546828 - ACTINIUM

An open-label phase 1 multicenter study on the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and anti-tumor effect of an antibody labelled with radioactive actinium-225 isotope (BAY 3546828) in the care of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Principal Investigator: Veera Ahtiainen

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

MK-5684-01A

A Phase 1/2 Umbrella Substudy of MK-5684-U01 Master Protocol to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of MK-5684-based Treatment Combinations or MK-5684 Alone in Participants With Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC).

Principal Investigator: Heikki Junkkari

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

MK-2870-005

A randomized phase 3 active controlled open-label multicenter study comparing the effectiveness and safety of the MK-2870 preparation administered as monotherapy to physician-selected treatment in patients with cervical cancer who have previously received platinum-based chemotherapy and immunotherapy (MK-2870-005/ENGOT-en23/GOG-3095).

Principal Investigator: Heini Lassus

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

ALL (ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA)

ALLTOGETHER

A treatment study protocol of children (1–17 years of age) and young adults (18–45 years of age) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

Person responsible for the study: Ulla Wartiovaara-Kautto
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for ALLTOGETHER study information

20190360 Golden Gate Study

A randomized, controlled phase 3 study comparing alternating blinatumomab and low dose chemotherapy with conventional treatment in aged adults recently diagnosed with Philadelphia negative Pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre B-ALL).

Principal Investigator: Ulla Wartiovaara-Kautto

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

AML (ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA)

HO150, AMLSG 29-18

An open-label, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter study of ivosidenib orenasidenib in combination with induction and consolidation chemotherapy followed by a maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed IDH1- or IDH2-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS-EB2) with excess blasts, and who are eligible for intensive chemotherapy.

Person responsible for the study: Mika Kontro
Refer to: HO150, AMLSG 29-18 Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

LD-VenEx

A phase II study in treating acute myeloid leukemia patients with azacitidine and low dose venetoclax, combined with profiling and drug sensitivity assay of leukemia cells in vitro.

Principal Investigator: Mika Kontro

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials Registry for study details.

MDS (MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME)

MDS

A phase 2 single arm multicenter study where a sensitive PCR marker is used in patients having received an allogeneic stem cell transplant to study and guide treatment of residual disease.

Principal Investigator: Urpu Salmenniemi

MGRS

DAMOCLES

Effect of daratumumab on renal diseases associated with monoclonal gammopathies

Principal Investigator: Kati Kaartinen

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

MYELOFIBROSIS

INCB 57643-103

Open-label phase I study on the safety and tolerability of INCB57643 in subjects with myelofibrosis

Person responsible for the study: Minna Lehto
Refer to: Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for INCB 57643-103 study information

MYELOMA

MagnetisMM32

A phase 3 open-label study comparing elranatamab with a combination of elotuzumab, pomalidomide and dexamethasone (EPd) or of pomalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (PVd), or a combination of carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) in subjects with recurrent / treatment-resistant multiple myeloma who have previously received targeted anti-CD38 treatment.

Principal Investigator: Juha Lievonen

CA057-001 SUCCESSOR-1

A phase 3 open-label, two-phase randomized multicenter study comparing a combination of preparation CC-92480, bortezomib and dexamethasone to a combination of pomalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone in subjects with recurring or treatment-resistant multiple myeloma.

Principal Investigator: Pekka Anttila

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

CC-220-MM-002 EXCALIBER

A two-stage clinical trial comparing iberdomide, daratumumab and dexamethasone (IberDd) to daratumumab, bortezomib and dexamethasone (DVd) in the treatment of recurring or treatment-resistant multiple myeloma.

Principal Investigator: Pekka Anttila

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

EXCALIBER
Maintenance therapy

A phase 3 randomized, controlled, open-label two-phase multicenter study comparing iberdomide based maintenance therapy to lenalidomide based maintenance therapy following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in subjects recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Principal Investigator: Sini Luoma

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

MagnetisMM-7

Study C1071007, a randomized, two-arm, phase 3 study comparing elranatamab (PF-06863135) to lenalidomide in patients with recently diagnosed multiple myeloma who are minimal residual disease positive after autologous stem cell transplantation.

Principal Investigator: Juha Lievonen
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials Register for details of the MagnetisMM-7 study

CA088-1007 Quintessential-2

A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-Label, Multicenter Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of BMS-986393, a GPRC5D-directed CAR-T Cell Therapy, Versus Standard Regimens in Adult Participants with Relapsed or Refractory and Lenalidomide-refractory Multiple Myeloma.

Principal Investigator: Mikko Keränen

POLAR BEAR

An open-label randomized phase III study comparing R-MINI-CHOP to R-MINI-CHP therapy in combination with polazuzumab-vedotin as primary treatment for elderly patients with diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma.

Principal Investigator: Sirpa Leppä
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for POLAR BEAR study information

FirmMIND

A phase 3 single-arm, open-label multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a combination of tafacitamab and lenalidomide in subjects with recurring or treatment-resistant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Principal Investigator: Kristiina Karihtala

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

MERLIN

MERLIN, Nordic Clinical Trial, Multicenter Phase II Study: Mosunezumab in the treatment of early recurrent follicular lymphoma (NLG-FL6/ ML43841)

Principal Investigator: Micaela Hernberg

Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

CA224-127

A phase 3 randomized, open-label study comparing fixed-dose subcutaneous combination treatment of nivolumab and relatilmab with fixed-dose intravenous combination treatment of nivolumab and relatlimab in subjects with previously untreated metastasized or inoperable melanoma.

Principal Investigator: Micaela Hernberg
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

Early stage breast cancer

Neo-ACT

Physical training during pre-cancer treatment to increase treatment responses: a randomized Neo-ACT study.
Principal Investigator: Peeter Karihtala
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for Neo-ACT study information

TroFuse-012

A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label, Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Adjuvant MK-2870 in Combination with Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Treatment of Physician’s Choice (TPC) in Participants With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Who Received Neoadjuvant Therapy and Did Not Achieve a Pathological Complete Response (pCR) at Surgery

Principal Investigator: Peeter Karihtala

Metastatized breast cancer

IMPORTANT

Finding the optimal dose of CDK4/6 inhibitors in elderly breast cancer patients

Principal Investigator: Peeter Karihtala
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

REMERGE

A study to investigate why breast cancer does not respond or stops responding to certain types of treatment.

Principal Investigator: Peeter Karihtala
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

FourLight-3

A phase 3 randomized multicenter study with the primary objective of evaluating the combination of PF-07220060 and letrozole compared to a combination of a CDK4/6 inhibitor and letrozole in patients with locally advanced or metastatic hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer who have not received prior systemic therapy for their disease.

AZUR-2

An open-label, randomized phase 3 study comparing dostarlimab medication administered in addition to surgery to conventional treatment in subjects with untreated but operable dMMR/MSI-H type colon cancer (classification T4N0 or stage III).

Principal Investigator: Siru Mäkelä
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for study information

BREAKWATER

Study of BRAF V600E mutated colorectal cancer evaluating use of encorafenib combined with setuximab and both with and without chemotherapy

Principal Investigator: Siru Mäkelä
Please refer to the ClinicalTrials register for BREAKWATER study information

Introducing the scientific research groups at the Comprehensive Cancer Center

Our research team is investigating how a cancerous tumor can defend itself against the body’s own immune system and how that system could be activated to kill cancer cells more efficiently. We are also investigating rare malignant blood disorders such as T-cell leukemia and related autoimmune phenomena.

In the future, our research findings may be useful for cancer diagnostics and may contribute to the development of new individual cancer treatments.

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The key research topics for our group are the effectiveness of palliative care services in end-of-life care and allocation of healthcare resources; the quality of life of patients and their family members; and exercise-based rehabilitation of cancer patients.

Our study will help arrange end-of-life services and the availability of palliative care appropriately, ensuring a good quality of end-of-life care. We have also demonstrated that exercise-based rehabilitation improves the quality of life of cancer patients and remains safe even if the cancer has metastasized.

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Our aim is to investigate the efficacy of cancer treatments (effectiveness, side effects, costs) in broad international information networks as part of research and official activities. We will also use this network for biomarker research and for testing new hypotheses.

We hope that our study will allow cancer drugs to be more precisely allocated to the patients who will benefit the most from them and for whom the risk of adverse effects will be as low as possible.

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Our research team is looking at the clotting characteristics of blood, and cancer is an important area of interest. Cancer is often discovered because of incorrect coagulation of blood, and this is also a mechanism for its spread. In pancreatic and ovarian cancers in particular, coagulation disorders are relevant for the prognosis, and unfortunately the treatments may also cause thrombosis and organ damage.

Laboratory examinations allow us to study the nature of various coagulation disorders and to fine-tune medicinal treatments and investigate responses. It is also important to keep abreast of novel coagulation treatments currently under development.

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We study HER2-positive breast cancers and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), aiming to improve our biological understanding of these diseases and to develop effective treatments for them.

Our study may discover cancer treatments that are better tolerated and more effective than what we have now, extending the life span of patients while maintaining a good quality of life.

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Our group is studying boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), which is biologically targeted radiation therapy. BNCT combines the benefits of external beam and internal radiation therapy. We have access to the world’s first neutron therapy device installed in a hospital environment and intend to begin treating patients in the near future.

Good results have been achieved with BNCT for instance in treating locally recurring tumors in the head and neck area. Because in BNCT the radiation dose is targeted at the tumor with the aid of a substance accumulating in the tumor (boronate amino acid), this method can be used to treat tumors no longer treatable by conventional radiation therapy. Such tumors include cancers that recur locally despite conventional radiation therapy and are located in the proximity of an organ with a limited tolerance for radiation.

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We are studying the efficacy and safety of lymphoma treatments and the biological factors affecting them. In our study, we consider the properties of lymphoma tissue and how the patient’s system reacts to lymphoma, and we consider our observations in treatment planning. Our study thus helps improve individual cancer treatments by focusing treatments on the patients who will benefit the most from them.

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Becoming our cooperation partner

We cooperate with the pharmaceutical industry and product development. You can contact us and suggest a research topic.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center has currently approximately 150 ongoing studies, of which drug trials are a significant portion. In all our research activities, we adhere to the best ethical principles. We carry out the studies in accordance with good clinical practice, considering the interests of the research patient a priority. In our research activities, we also follow the Declaration of Helsinki.

New studies can be offered to the Comprehensive Cancer Center by sending a message to uudetsyopatutkimukset@hus.fi, or directly to the researcher.

Obtaining a hospital research permit for a pharmaceutical trial requires the approval of the Ethics Committee and FIMEA, as well as a financial agreement. The total duration of the permit processing from the research offer to its approval is approximately two months. Permits and agreements can be prepared and processed simultaneously.