A new sarcoma clinical trial bridges adolescent and adult care at the MUHC
Highlighting the MUHC’s unique ability to bridge pediatric and adult cancer care, the trial evaluates a new antibody-drug conjugate for the treatment of osteosarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas in adolescents and adults.
Adolescents and adults with difficult-to-treat sarcomas can now access a new investigational treatment at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), through the Phase Ib/II EMBOLD Sarcoma clinical trial. The study brings together the MUHC’s pediatric and adult oncology teams to offer the same trial to patients aged 12 and older, an approach made possible by the MUHC’s unique continuum of cancer care. The trial is locally coordinated by the Research Institute of the MUHC (The Institute).
Sarcoma is a rare cancer that primarily affects adolescents and young adults. Approximately 2,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in Canada and despite advances made in recent decades, treatment options remain limited.
“Clinical trials in sarcoma are particularly valuable. These cancers account for only about one per cent of cancers in adults and encompass many subtypes that affect both adolescents and adults, making participant recruitment and the generation of robust evidence particularly challenging. In this context, every participant counts, and the opening of a new trial marks an important milestone in the search for better treatments,” says Dr. Ramy Saleh, medical oncologist at the MUHC’s Cedars Cancer Centre, Medical Director of Oncology Clinical Trials and the Phase I Research Unit at The Institute, and Associate Professor in the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology at McGill University.
The GSK-sponsored trial is open to patients with osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) or soft tissue sarcoma (a cancer that affects muscles, fat or nerves) whose cancer has returned or spread despite previous treatment and cannot be removed surgically. It will evaluate the safety and therapeutic potential of risvutatug rezetecan (Ris-Rez), an antibody-drug conjugate—a treatment that combines a precision monoclonal antibody with a potent chemotherapy drug.
A unique model bridging pediatric and adult cancer care
Thanks to its unique configuration, which brings together the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital on the same site, along with The Institute’s Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM)—a centre dedicated to advancing clinical research—the MUHC is one of the few centres in North America able to offer the same clinical trial to both adolescents and adults.
This advantage facilitates access to investigational treatments offered through clinical trials for adolescents and young adults. These patients are often excluded from such trials because of age-based eligibility criteria, as well as the fact that pediatric and adult care are generally provided at separate institutions.
In addition, through the Jackie Aziz Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program at Cedars, MUHC patients between the ages of 15 and 39 also benefit from specialized support and care tailored to their age and specific needs. Supported by the Cedars Cancer Foundation, the program played a key role in bringing the EMBOLD Sarcoma trial to the MUHC.
The youngest trial participants will be followed by Dr. Lucie Pécheux, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and co-investigator of the trial, in collaboration with Dr. Saleh, the principal investigator.
“This important milestone reflects the extraordinary collaboration between our pediatric and adult oncology teams and demonstrates the strength of our clinical research program,” says Dr. Pécheux. “For patients with sarcoma whose disease has progressed despite standard treatments, access to innovative clinical trials could offer new possibilities.”
Strengthening Quebec’s leadership in sarcoma research
The opening of the EMBOLD Sarcoma trial at the MUHC further strengthens its position as a Quebec leader in clinical research on sarcoma. The MUHC remains the only centre in the province to offer clinical trials specifically dedicated to this disease and brings together multidisciplinary expertise spanning the entire continuum of care and research.
Outside Québec, the EMBOLD Sarcoma trial is recruiting participants in Toronto and at a few other sites in France and Japan.
“The fact that the MUHC was among the early sites to open this trial, which is now expanding internationally, speaks to the recognition of our clinical expertise and the excellence of our research infrastructure,” says Dr. Saleh. “The MUHC and The Institute have all the necessary strengths to facilitate access to investigational treatments, accelerate patient recruitment and provide clinical trial sponsors with a single point of access to the full population eligible for their studies.”
About the trial
The EMBOLD Sarcoma clinical trial is sponsored by GSK. Conducting the trial at the MUHC is also made possible thanks to the support of the Cedars Cancer Foundation and the Quebec Sarcoma Research Consortium (SaRC-Q).