Green Bay, Wis. (WFRV) – Aurora BayCare Medical Center is on the forefront of breast cancer research and clinical trials: It’s the second top recruiter for clinical trials in Wisconsin, with close to 70 clinical trials for cancer, 15 of them for breast cancer.

“Thanks to trials, we have gotten to the point that we are giving safer treatments, lesser treatments, more effective treatments, and that is the reason why research is so important,” said Dr. Umang Gautam, Director of Oncology at Aurora BayCare.

“Through clinical trials, we are also able to offer our patients novel drugs that are looking promising that are not yet FDA-approved, not yet available on the market,” he said.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Gautam has seen just how impactful research has been in improving patient care and outcome.

“Going from giving transplants to our breast cancer patients, thousands of women were getting transplants for breast cancer in the 90s, and now to the point that women over 60, we’re barely giving chemotherapy to 19 percent of the patients,” said Dr. Gautam.

That’s all thanks to clinical trials, like the SCARLET Trial Aurora BayCare is conducting currently.

It aims to incorporate immunotherapy prior to surgery, reducing the toxic side effects of chemo and lessening the chances of cancer recurrence.

Another, the DEBRA trial, focuses on reducing radiation.

“It’s no longer a one size fits all,” said Dr. Pam Vanderwall, a radiation oncologist at Aurora BayCare. “We have an extremely efficient group of research trials that are helping us determine, and through precision medicine, make sure that we give the specific treatment for the individual patient. We want to find out who in fact needs the radiation, who needs more radiation, who needs less radiation,” she added.

And that’s the key. Breast cancer isn’t one size fits all, and neither is the treatment.

“I feel that breast cancer is a big jigsaw puzzle with multiple pieces, and questions about what is the best treatment for our patients?” asked Dr. Gautam. “Through the trials, we are answering these questions, which are little pieces of the puzzle. By women being brave, showing enthusiasm, coming to these clinical trials, we are putting together that puzzle which has led to even metastatic breast cancer from a death sentence to a chronic disease. Hopefully cure is not too distant in the future,” he said.

Assess your risk of developing breast cancer with Aurora BayCare’s free online quiz . Knowing your chances can help you plan a personalized screening plan to detect breast cancer early.