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New Online Research Tool Helps Young Cancer Patients
For immediate release
12.03

New Web Site Provides Information About Children’s Cancer Research and Therapy

(Phoenix, Ariz.) – The Arizona Children’s Therapeutic and Investigational Oncology Network (ACTION) today launched a new Web site that is a unique information resource for families with children suffering from malignancies.

Located at www.arizonachildrenscancerresearch.org the new Web site includes an overview of clinical trial types as well as a directory of current children’s cancer trials underway at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and/or the Steele Memorial Children’s Research Center at the University of Arizona. Additional reference information and relevant links selected by the ACTION team are also included on the site.

"We believe providing current, clear information is vital to assisting the children and their families face these challenges, and our new Web site is intended to help provide that information,” said Dr. Jessica Boklan, ACTION co-founder.

The site is a clearinghouse for all current ACTION clinical trials that may be appropriate for children with malignancies. The site was developed by the Phoenix-based Internet consulting firm Mighty Interactive, Inc., with a grant from the Caitlin Robb Foundation.

To keep the site extremely current, it was constructed so that ACTION staff can instantly update the clinical trial database without special software or technical assistance, enabling the Web site to maintain the latest trial information.

ACTION focuses on patients with newly diagnosed, refractory and relapsed malignancies, utilizing clinical trials to provide treatment with the most promising new agents available. ACTION members collaborate with regional and national cancer research physicians and scientists to ensure that children in Arizona have access to the most up-to-date cancer therapy.

ACTION was founded by the principal investigators, Dr. Jessica Boklan. and Dr. Rochelle Bagatell, who represent the two largest pediatric oncology groups in the state of Arizona. Dr. Boklan is based at Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) and works with six other pediatric hematologists-oncologists. Dr. Boklan’s expertise is in leukemias, and she is particularly interested in finding new drugs with which to treat children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Dr. Boklan and colleagues, Drs. Roberta Adams, Paul Baranko, Michael Etzl, Michael Recht, Dale Singer, and Terry Wood, see patients from throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area and from primarily the northern regions of the state. Melanie Brewer, FNP is the PCH ACTION research nurse and coordinator. The PCH department has robust clinical and research programs in such specialty areas as bone tumors/sarcomas, leukemias, brain tumors, and stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Bagatell and colleagues, Drs. Michael Graham, John Hutter, Emmanuel Katsanis, and Luke Whitesell, are based at the Children’s Research Center (CRC) at the University of Arizona in Tucson. They treat patients from Tucson and the southern regions of the state. Shelley Clark is the UA ACTION research nurse and coordinator. The research laboratories run by members of the CRC group provide strong scientific support for ACTION trials. Translational research performed in the laboratories is designed to enable physicians to predict and assess patients’ responses to medications at the molecular level. CRC faculty has special interests in new treatments for solid tumors and in novel approaches to stem cell transplantation.

Drs. Boklan and Bagatell work closely with Arizona Cancer Center colleagues to identify new anticancer agents that are likely to be active against childhood cancers. Both PCH and CRC are members of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) as well as the newly formed Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigator Consortium (POETIC). PCH is also a member of the Children’s Neuro-Oncology Consortium as well as the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Consortium.


As the only comprehensive children's hospital in Arizona, Phoenix Children's Hospital is the major provider of pediatric care in the state. It is also a regional referral center for children with highly specialized or life-threatening illnesses or injuries. For information about Phoenix Children's, visit the hospital's award-winning Website at www.phoenixchildrenshospital.com

The Steele Memorial Children's Research Center is one of the eight centers of excellence at The University of Arizona College of Medicine. Internationally known scientists and physicians, who also are part of the UA Department of Pediatrics, work together to research causes and develop cures for childhood illnesses and diseases. One major area of interest is pediatric cancer, specifically neuroblastoma, a pediatric solid tumor cancer that carries a very poor prognosis. Researchers at the Children's Research Center are testing new drugs that attack cancer at the molecular level and creating a type of "vaccine" to prevent relapse among young cancer patients.

The Caitlin Robb Foundation is named in memory of Caitlin Robb, a Tempe, Arizona child who died of neuroblastoma at two years of age. After brain tumors, neuroblastoma is the second most common form of solid tumor pediatric cancer, a cancer for which consistently effective treatment has not yet been found. Caitlin's family and friends assumed the legacy that she had left to continue the search for a cure and to assist other children in need. Each year, the Caitlin Robb Foundation donates funds to pediatric cancer research programs and to organizations that serve pediatric cancer patients and their families. This memorial foundation promotes research in pediatric cancer through various grants and donations including: The Caitlin Robb Memorial Fellowship at the University of Arizona, The Caitlin Robb Laboratory at Arizona State University, the Emily Center at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks.

Mighty Interactive is a Phoenix-based Internet consulting firm that works with companies to ensure that their Web sites meet or exceed the expectations of their customers. Mighty Interactive developed the strategy and site outline for the new ACTION site, surveyed prospective visitors regarding their online needs, developed a vendor selection process and oversaw Web site design and usability. Mighty also collaborated with Phoenix Children’s Hospital to produce their award winning online destination. Other Mighty Interactive clients include: Circle K, Arizona Highways Magazine, bizAZ Magazine, The Flinn Foundation, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, Hidden Meadow Ranch, and others. www.mightyinteractive.com

Contact:
Jason Baer, Mighty Interactive 602.528.3509
Kimberly Ovitt, PCH 602. 546-5876
Kate Jensen, CRC 520.626.7217

12/15/2003