The pancreatic cancer of Robert Baioni had returned. After his initial diagnosis in 2016, Baioni was treated near his Cincinnati home, treatment that included surgery to remove his pancreas, followed by chemotherapy. A few months later, “my oncologist told me the chemotherapy wasn’t working,” Baioni said, adding his doctor also told him about a unique clinical trial at the James run by Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, PhD. “I went in there feeling kind of hopeless and by the time my wife and I left we both felt very optimistic,” Baioni said of his initial meeting with Roychowdhury. In this episode of the James Cancer-Free World podcast, Baioni and Roychowdhury describe the two clinical trials Baioni has taken part in at the James. Both trials were initiated by Roychowdhury and utilize drugs that target a specific genetic mutation that was in the cells of Baioni’s cancer: Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs). This was one of the first clinical trials that focused on the specific genetic mutation causing the cancer and not the type of cancer, Roychowdhury said. “This trial was designed for any type of cancer with the FGFR mutation, the liver, the uterus, the stomach,” he said. “How could we get a therapy to patients based on the genetic mutation; how could we break the mold [of standard treatment.” Baioni and Roychowdhury describe the science behind the clinical trials, what was going on inside the patient’s body, how the drugs that target FGFR work, and the side effects associated with this type of treatment. It’s a fascinating look at the advances being made in cancer research and treatment, as well as an uplifting story of the bond between a patient and his James physician.