Local doctor discusses cancer trials at Duke University
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 12, 2016 1:46 PM
Dr. James Atkins of Southeastern Medical Oncology Center, a long-time advocate for clinical trials for cancer, took his message to Durham this week, where he was among physicians and health care professionals in the audience during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Duke University School of Medicine as part of the discussion on the "cancer moonshot," an effort to eradicate the disease.
During the president's State of the Union address last month, Biden was tasked with leading an effort to speed up finding a cure for cancer. The mission, likened to putting a man on the moon, was also personal -- Biden's son, Beau, had succumbed to a brain tumor earlier last year.
Duke was chosen as one of the stops, with the vice president touring a lab on Wednesday before participating in a roundtable discussion and meeting with doctors, public health researchers and patient advocates. Dr. Atkins was the only community oncologist in the audience, he said. And while pleased to be included in the conversation, he admits he was a bit disappointed that his was a lone voice at times.
"I think the good part was that it appeared that Joe Biden is definitely very interested in the issue so that's good," he said. "It's interesting that they're interested in improving the system.
"The point that I made, as well as one other person, (is) the government's got to get the word out about clinical trials."
He said he believes the public needs to become more informed about clinical trials.
"There are a lot of educational efforts that need to be done," he said. "There's definitely a need to educate people if they're interested in the moonshot or finding ways to cure cancer.
"The other question comes up, if you have people wanting them (clinical trials), are they going to be able to get them?"
Dr. Atkins said he participates in a clinical trials network, along with about 300 other physicians, which is not a high percentage of oncologists utilizing the option.
"Somehow you have to find ways to get other physicians involved, if they're going to be able to move the field forward and cure cancer," he said. "We need to have a paradigm shift and to think a little differently than we did in the 1990s."
He said he appreciates any efforts toward improving cancer cure rates, but maintains there is no "silver bullet" to accomplish that.
"It's going to take time," he said. "There's not just one cancer. There are thousands of cancers. We need to use the newest technologies to find the right therapies for people.
"We have a lot of challenges ahead of us but he (Biden) said he's willing to make sure that 'can't' really is removed from the vocabulary."
Dr. Atkins had a ready answer about how he came to be invited to the gathering at Duke.
"I have no idea who put my name in at that level. Obviously, Washington was the one that contacted me," he said.
With doctors from such prestigious cancer programs as Duke and Chapel Hill in the tiny room that only accommodated about 80 people, Dr. Atkins may have been uncertain about his involvement then or what it might be moving forward. But he does know what his message will be.
"I'm quite passionate and always have been in that we need to advance science and we need to advance clinical trials," he said.
His reasons for tackling cancer cures are not only professional, but personal as well.
His mission has long been to create a better health care climate, for himself as well as his own family and loved ones and his patients.
Dr. Atkins said he is keenly aware of the urban myth circulating that there is already a cure out there and whomever -- doctors, the government -- is keeping it under wraps.
"That naiveté concept exists," he said. "But reality is if there was a cure, I can assure you that doctors would be using it on their families and families would never die from cancer.
"And doctors die from cancer as much as lay people. That kind of folklore that's not real, hopefully will get dispelled."
So when the oncologist had the opportunity to bring his message to the forefront before the vice president, he was admittedly surprised that it wasn't readily embraced.
"I was disappointed that the other doctors did not talk about the things that were impeding clinical trials," he said. "But I think (Biden) was interested in what I talked about anyway. So I think it will move forward.
"I got the feeling that the only things that came out of the effort were the comments I made -- how do we improve clinical trials? The other stuff that was presented -- and I don't want to sound arrogant -- was of no value. I was surprised that the other folks did not make comments. I'm hoping that they will moving forward."