Maribel Ramos remains cancer-free after taking part in a clinical trial led by breast cancer experts like Dr. Sylvia Adams at Perlmutter Cancer Center.
Photo: NYU Langone Staff
In 2016, Maribel Ramos enrolled in a clinical trial at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center that was testing an experimental treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that doesn’t respond well to standard treatments. Within a few months of receiving a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, Ms. Ramos’s tumors began to shrink, and eventually, her cancer became undetectable. Five years later she remains cancer-free.
Ms. Ramos, who is continuing to do well with her cancer under control, has remained on the immunotherapy regimen, says her oncologist Franco M. Muggia, MD, a professor in the Department of Medicine and a member of Perlmutter Cancer Center.
Sylvia Adams, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Breast Cancer Center at Perlmutter Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet, “The trial treatment was very successful for Maribel, and she continues on the same immunotherapy regimen indefinitely, without the chemotherapy component.”
“When long-term treatment is needed, the importance of teamwork becomes readily apparent,” Dr. Muggia says. “The patient is part of the team, as are our colleagues and clinical research staff that refine and share information on the treatment regimens, the IV treatment unit staff, and lastly our nursing and office staff, who ensure trust and continuity of care.”
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