Products that could become drugs in cancer treatment years later are being researched in this unit

The Medical Oncology Service Clinical Research Unit, opened at Sakarya Training and Research Hospital Korucuk Campus, provides services to the health sector thanks to their R&D studies to better meet the needs of patients.

The Medical Oncology Service Clinical Research Unit, which was opened at SEAH Korucuk Campus, provides services to the health sector thanks to their R&D studies to better meet the needs of healthcare professionals, decision-makers and patients. The unit, which is under the management of Prof. Dr. İlhan Hacıbekiroğlu, Administrative Officer of the Medical Oncology Clinic, enables these products, which are important in terms of new drugs and treatment studies and which may become drugs years later, to be offered to patients long before they are available to patients. The Medical Oncology Service Clinical Research Unit, which conducts R&D studies on an international scale, aims to reduce the development time of new drugs and treatments, costs and the burden on healthcare systems.

“We are conducting clinical research in the field of oncology here”

Prof. Dr. İlhan Hacıbekiroğlu, Administrative Supervisor of the Medical Oncology Clinic, said, “Our clinical research unit is a unit that we evaluate academically and also serves our patients in a sense. What do we do here? In fact, there are many treatment modalities in oncology that we apply to our patients. And there are phases that these treatment modalities go through until their application to humans is proven. We call these clinical trials. How is a drug developed? First, it goes through preclinical stages such as animal studies or cell series studies, which we call preclinical experiments. From there, human studies of the molecule that proves its effectiveness begin. In other words, these are the stages that a molecule goes through in order to be used in humans and to prove its safety and efficacy. We call these phase studies. They mainly consist of 3 main headings: phase 1, phase 2, phase 3. Of course, there is also phase 4, but that is more market data. In phase 1, the maximum tolerable dose of the molecule, in other words its safety, is determined. In Phase 2, this active molecule is tested on volunteers. In Phase 3, the effectiveness of this drug is now tested in large samples. These are studies in which the use of the drug in human health has been proven, the dose has been determined and its safety has been proven. Phase studies are clinical trials. Here, we are conducting clinical trials in the field of oncology.”

“Our patients have early access to the drugs in development”

Providing details about the research center, Hacıbekiroğlu said, “Especially with us, there are more phase 2 and phase 3 studies, and our patients have access to the drugs that are being developed early. Since the cost of the drugs taken within the framework of this study belongs to the sponsor company, the scientific research company, it does not bring an additional burden to our country. It is a separate academic experience opportunity for doctors. The clinical research unit was the place where we carried out our studies designed for academic purposes, which were designed for both patient benefit, physician benefit and community benefit. Our patients somehow bypassed the phases in which these drugs were developed and developed until they were released to the market after completing phase 3s, and reached the drugs used in today's oncology early. At the very least, the products that are claimed to be better than the drugs used in current standards are somehow free of charge, within the framework of academic studies under the supervision of the state. Our clinical research unit is where we carry out these studies.”