Answers for Cancers

Among those benefiting from this support are UCI Health’s Dr. Maheswari Senthil, a surgical oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers, and Dr. Farshid Dayyani, a medical oncologist who treats gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary malignancies.

The two doctors are leading a Phase 2 clinical trial focused on combating gastric cancer, a disease that disproportionately affects Hispanics and younger adults. Their innovative trial, named Stopgap, addresses a pressing need for effective treatments against gastric carcinomatosis – a stage of stomach cancer in which the disease has spread to the abdominal cavity, resulting in grim survival prognoses.

“Stomach cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide,” Senthil says. “Once it reaches the advanced stages, patients often have a survival rate of little more than six months. This is especially concerning in our community, where we serve a large Hispanic population that’s experiencing rising incidence rates.”

Stopgap employs a three-pronged approach aimed at enhancing the efficacy of conventional treatments. Currently, standard care involves intravenous chemotherapy, which can temporarily slow the cancer’s progression. However, this method often proves inadequate due to the abdomen’s peritoneal membrane barrier, which limits the drug’s utility.

To address this, Senthil and Dayyani have developed a novel treatment regimen that includes direct infusion of chemotherapy into the abdominal cavity, a procedure known as normothermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This technique allows higher doses of the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel to be administered directly into the affected area, while patients simultaneously receive intravenous chemotherapy.

“By combining these methods, we hope to improve outcomes for patients who have already undergone standard chemotherapy,” Dayyani explains. “The goal is to provide a more aggressive treatment option that targets cancer cells where they reside.”

Participants in the trial also undergo cytoreduction surgery, which removes visible cancerous tissue, followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy to eradicate any remaining microscopic cancer cells. This comprehensive approach is designed to boost survival rates and optimize the quality of life for patients battling advanced stomach cancer.

The urgency of this research – and the need for greater philanthropic funding in this arena – is underscored by alarming trends. In Southern California, recent statistics reveal that the 12 people per 100,000 gastric cancer incidence rate among Hispanics is nearly double that of other ethnic groups. “The factors contributing to this disparity are complex and include diet, lifestyle and genetic predisposition,” Senthil says. “We’ve observed that many patients present with advanced-stage cancer, which often results in poor outcomes.”

Since the launch of the Stopgap trial in 2021, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants seeking out this innovative treatment from beyond the local region. Encouraged by these initial results, Senthil and Dayyani are now preparing to expand their research across 30 institutions nationwide, including Mayo Clinic and Yale University. This larger initiative is set to kick off in 2025, with hopes of significantly advancing the treatment landscape for gastric cancer.

As the trial progresses, both doctors emphasize the need for continued philanthropic efforts to fuel cancer research. “We still have many research questions to answer,” Senthil states. “Identifying which patients respond best to our treatments is crucial. The path forward requires sustained support from the community.”

Both doctors credit initial 2017 funding from the Anti-Cancer Challenge with making this research possible. “Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to launch Stopgap or secure further national support,” Dayyani says, adding that additional philanthropic assistance would help UCI Health tackle broader challenges. “Our work is far from complete. If we are to improve outcomes for early-stage cancer patients, more philanthropy is still needed. We must tackle these challenges together.”

UC Irvine’s 2025 Anti-Cancer Challenge will take place on campus on Saturday, Oct. 11. Registration opens in February.

If you want to learn more about supporting this or other activities at UC Irvine, please visit the Brilliant Future website. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UC Irvine seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The School of Medicine plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/uci-school-of-medicine.