Annual Report 2018 | Page 25

Te research focus of , Jared Acoba , MD , is to identify new treatments for patients with gastrointestinal cancers which includes pancreatic and liver cancers . Acoba has developed clinical trial protocols and participated in oncology cooperative groups as a member of the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program , and provided cancer care to residents of Hawai ‘ i as an oncologist at Hawaii Oncology .

Acoba ’ s latest research involves immunotherapy which has shown promise in a number of cancers including hepatoma . He has developed a clinical trial to test two medications that may shrink tumors by allowing the immune system to destroy cancer cells . Te phase II trial will study how the medications work in combination in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic liver cancer . Te UH Cancer Center is the frst institution to test the two agents in combination , specifcally for hepatoma .

JARED ACOBA

UH CANCER CENTER ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Translational and Clinical Research
“ Hawai ‘ i has one of the highest rates of hepatoma in the United States . Developing a more efective treatment would signifcantly improve the care of hepatoma patients in the islands .”
– JARED ACOBA
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