GHS Making Rare Cancer Treatments Not So Rare The Cancer Institute of Greenville Health System (GHS) is on the leading edge in nationwide clinical trials for new cancer treatment therapies focused on treating rare cancers. By Robin Halcomb
The tumors in Lisa Smith’s lungs disappeared when she participated in a clinical trial through the GHS Cancer Institute.
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wenty years ago, Lisa Smith of Travelers Rest never dreamed the little girl she was teaching at her church would one day play a key role in her survival.
Smith, a 53-year-old wife and mother of two, had a lump on her jaw for years, but when it started growing in 2015, she sought medical help. The tumor was successfully removed at Duke University Hospital, but later scans showed the cancer had spread to her lungs. After she was told by the Duke doctor nothing else could be done for her, a series of events unfolded that would result in remission of her cancer.
That journey began with a conversation with Kelsey Tallon, who works at GHS Cancer Institute. The exchange led to Smith’s participation in a clinical trial of a new type of cancer treatment called immunotherapy, which uses the human immune system to find and attack cancer cells.
Calling on the Defense In 1893, William B. Coley, MD, observed cases of cancer that went away after a patient contracted a bacterial infection. While he wrongly concluded that the bacteria destroyed the
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