Maintaining Quality of Life
Clinical trials offer access to new treatment options — and advance cancer care
March 18, 2025
3 minute read
Clinical trials offer access to new treatment options — and advance cancer care
Two years ago, Deb Stephens was experiencing symptoms of bronchitis, so she visited an urgent care clinic.
“They did a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia,” the 73-year-old Muskego resident said. “When the imaging results came back, they showed ‘questionable areas’ on one of my ribs.”
Deb had a CT scan the next day, and it detected a mass growing on her right kidney. Additional tests confirmed the diagnosis — Deb had kidney cancer, and it had spread throughout her body.
She was seen quickly by doctors within the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Network. While surgery was an option, her care team thought she might be eligible for a less invasive approach through a clinical trial.
“We often consider surgically removing the primary kidney tumor; however, in Deb’s case, since her cancer had metastasized — spread beyond the kidney — systemic medical therapy was the right first step,” said Ariel Nelson, MD, medical oncologist and MCW faculty member. “That is where the consideration for this clinical trial came into play.”
The trial was conceived by William Hall, MD, radiation oncologist and MCW faculty member, to treat people with kidney cancer who will also receive immunotherapy. When a surgery-first approach is not recommended and a patient’s kidney cancer has metastasized, Dr. Hall’s idea was to treat them with high-dose radiation called stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy, or SABR.
“The trial’s hypothesis is that for some people, SABR can provide the same benefit as initial surgery using a less invasive treatment,” Dr. Hall said. “High-dose radiation therapy stimulates the immune system, which can be beneficial when combined with immunotherapy. For select patients, surgery after SABR is still an option.”
Since receiving funding from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Hall’s clinical trial has taken the cancer world by storm. It is currently open at 164 sites across the globe, and more than 250 sites are pending. SABR is also being studied as a treatment for other types of cancer.
Deb met with Dr. Hall in July 2023. They discussed the clinical trial at length, and Deb readily agreed to take part. She received the first of three SABR treatments in late August and finished the last session in early September. By November, CT scans showed a dramatic decrease in the size of her main tumor.
“She had a truly amazing response to treatment,” Dr. Hall said. “The primary tumor is nearly gone — it is just a bit of scar tissue now — and she had a really good response to immunotherapy. But her quality of life is also important to me. Her ability to continue to do things she likes was preserved quite well with this treatment strategy.”
Trials are one of the most important aspects of cancer care because they lay the groundwork for better treatments.
“Patients find participating in clinical trials to be personally rewarding,” Dr. Hall said. “They know what they are doing is meaningful to people with cancer in the future because clinical trials are the vehicles that will help us improve care,” he said.
Today, Deb is feeling good and enjoying time with her family. She visits the Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert Hospital campus every three weeks to have lab tests, receive her immunotherapy and check in with her care team.
“I have a big team of caregivers who are all in the same circle and keeping a close eye on me,” Deb said. “I have been blessed in my life, and this clinical trial has been a great opportunity. Everyone has been wonderful, and I am delighted to have participated.”
