“VeloSano is a great way to get funds for the projects that we know are really important for the patients that we treat and see at Cleveland Clinic every day.”
The body is equipped with all sorts of defense mechanisms that usually protect us. However, these defenses can sometimes become obstacles, making it difficult for healthcare providers to treat cancer effectively. This is especially true for patients with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma.
CNS lymphoma can form in your brain, spinal cord, spinal fluid or behind your eyes. It starts in the white blood cells and impacts your lymphatic system, which is an important part of your immune system. Although it is uncommon, hematology oncologists at Cleveland Clinic, like Allison Winter, MD, see a significant number of patients with this aggressive disease.
“We see a lot of it here at Cleveland Clinic because it is so difficult to treat,” says Dr. Winter, who received a VeloSano Pilot Grant to research this understudied and underfunded cancer type. “We get a lot of people who are sent here to main campus because we are a tertiary care center, and regional hospitals can’t manage these complex cases.”
One of those defenses is called the blood-brain barrier, which acts as a gatekeeper for your brain, typically holding good things in and keeping harmful things out. However, for patients with CNS lymphoma, this protective layer complicates the use of standard treatments. Studying patients with this fast-spreading cancer is even more challenging because it causes a lot of dysfunction quickly.
“Coming up with a regimen that’s actually easy and logistically feasible that you could start right away is incredibly important in this patient population,” says Dr. Winter, who also serves as the VeloSano Medical Director, assisting other researchers with grant reviews. “They don’t have a lot of time, so getting all the pieces together needs to be able to happen quickly.”
Dr. Winter’s study centers around using Golcadomide, a novel drug, with existing chemotherapies to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and treat the tumor. It’s a promising combination that she hopes will achieve better outcomes for patients. That’s only part of the reason why she rides in Bike to Cure each year.
“Bike to Cure is an amazing event,” says Dr. Winter. “The enthusiasm that you feel when you get to the Friday night Kickoff Party and then Ride Day on Saturday morning is inspiring. We all have someone that we know who has cancer, and the only way to improve outcomes is to do the research.”
100% For The Cure
