Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) researchers and clinicians are working to bring leading-edge therapies closer to patients, especially those in rural communities.
As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in northern New England, DCC offers a wide range of clinical trials that lead to new and improved ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
Leading-Edge Clinical Trials
Charles J. Gaulin, MD, a hematologist-oncologist at DCC, specializes in lymphoma, myeloma, and cellular therapies. He leads several clinical trials aimed at giving patients access to the newest treatment options.
One of Gaulin’s most active studies is a national clinical trial comparing immunotherapy approaches for follicular lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. DCC has enrolled far more patients than originally expected, helping move this important research forward.
Gaulin is also the principal investigator for several studies of targeted oral medications, including a trial evaluating the drug zanubrutinib in combination with rituximab for mantle cell lymphoma. That study reached its enrollment goal ahead of schedule.
A major focus is improving outcomes for patients receiving advanced therapies, such as CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific T-cell engagers. These treatments help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. The goal is to improve treatment efficacy for the nearly 50 percent of patients who do not experience long-lasting responses to CAR T-cell therapy.
Improving Care for Rural Communities
For many patients in rural areas, traveling long distances for treatment can be difficult. Through participation in leading-edge clinical trials, Gaulin hopes to expand rural access to advanced treatments and develop care pathways that allow for convenient treatment delivery while prioritizing patient safety and outcomes.
“When I joined the team in 2024, one of my goals was to improve access to clinical trials for our rural population,” said Gaulin. “With more than 80 percent of patients receiving their cancer care at community hospitals across the U.S., Dartmouth Health is in a unique position to make significant contributions to clinical trials by developing treatments that can be administered anywhere—including in the community, on an outpatient basis, or at satellite locations—and not just at urban, academic medical centers.”
In 2025, DCC completed its first outpatient CAR T-cell therapy treatment, becoming one of only a few centers in the Northeast to offer CAR T-cell therapy on an outpatient basis. The team is also expanding community-based access to other therapies, including bispecific T-cell engagers, offering them at DCC member locations.
Gaulin notes that although treatment is initiated at DCC’s main location in Lebanon, it can often be transitioned to multiple DCC locations with the appropriate safety nets in place. “Which means, our patients from rural areas don’t need to be tied to our Lebanon campus for the duration of their care,” he says.