Visiting Dana-Farber? See our prescreening and mask requirements.
Please note that some translations using Google Translate may not be accurately represented and downloaded documents cannot be translated. Dana-Farber assumes no liability for inaccuracies that may result from using this third-party tool, which is for website translation and not clinical interactions. You may request a live medical interpreter for a discussion about your care.
We believe an active clinical research program is vital for providing outstanding care. Our physician-scientists conduct clinical trials to build a precise understanding of how cancer develops and how it can be treated. That research, in turn, informs our approach to your individual treatment needs.
Among other research initiatives, we are studying risk factors for diseases such as colon cancer, stomach cancer, and pancreatic cancer, using information on the diet, lifestyles, and medical histories of more than 170,000 men and women.
We are also collecting blood samples and tumor specimens, which allows us to look at molecular and genetic alterations that may signal a risk factor for particular cancers.
Studying the tumors will help us better understand how normal cells become cancer cells and how we can create better drugs to delay or prevent these changes.
We are also constantly conducting clinical trials to develop new treatments for patients with gastrointestinal cancers. These trials will help us define more effective therapies for patients now and in the future.
Our recent breakthroughs in gastrointestinal cancer research include these discoveries:
Trial 19-691: Randomized Double-Blind Phase III Trial of Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Patients with Previously Untreated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (SOLARIS) Principal investigator: Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH
Trial 18-021: Vitamin D Receptor Agonist Paricalcitol plus Gemcitabine and Nab-paclitaxel in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Principal investigator: Kimberly Perez, MD
Trial 18-207: Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept Trial Testing the PARP Inhibitor Niraparib in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Harboring Deficiencies in Homologous Recombination DNA Repair Principal investigator: James Cleary, MD, PhD
Trial 16-490: A Randomized Multicenter Phase Ib/II study to assess the safety and immunological effect of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in combination with MK-3475 (anti-PD1) to CRT alone in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer Principal investigator: Osama Rahma, MD
Trial 19-403: Phase II Trial of Cabozantinib in Combination with Nivolumab for Advanced Carcinoid Tumors Principal investigator: Kimberly Perez, MD
New Patient Appointments 877-442-3324
Clinical Trials Questions?
877-DF-TRIAL (877-338-7425)