FDA approves new lung cancer drug

The lung cancer drug erlotinib (Tarceva) treats a certain type of non-small cell lung cancer. 10% to 30% of lung cancer cases fall into this category. In a randomized phase III clinical trial, erlotinib, in tablet form, was compared to the current best treatment; platinum-based doublet chemotherapy.

The trial measured and compared progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The experimental drug performed significantly better in both measures. The median age of participants was 65, more than two out of three were women, and most had never smoked. There was tumor shrinkage in 65% of those taking erlotinib and 16% of those receiving chemotherapy.

This is another example of the power and efficiency of the clinical trials process. As a result of a clinical trial a new and improved treatment is now available.

Erlotinib is sold by Genentech as Tarceva. You can find more information on their website.

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To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.

(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Gold Nanoparticle Therapy to be used in first clinical trial

Like most of us, you have probably never heard of gold nanoparticle therapy. That’s not surprising. It's a new treatment that will be used for the first time in a cancer clinical to treat lung cancer. The process was invented by biomedical engineers, Naomi Halas and Jennifer West, at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The trial will be conducted by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

When these nanoparticles were first tested in mice, the result was tumor remission in 100 percent of the experimental subjects.

The nanoparticles consist of microscopic balls of silica (glass) encased in a thin shell of gold. These nanoparticles are injected into the blood stream and absorbed by tumors—not healthy tissue.

After 12 to 24 hours, when the particles have been absorbed by the tumor, an infrared laser is used to heat the particles and destroy the tumor cell. Tumors are damaged or destroyed with minimal effect on healthy tissues.

The trial, approved by the FDA, will be conducted by Mark Lund, MD, Director of Interventional Pulmonology, Bronchoscopy & ICU at Eastern Regional Medical Center. Additional trials are planned for metastatic head and neck tumors and prostate cancer.

Successful results from these trials could provide new and minimally invasive treatment for some common cancers.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.

(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

Video: the personalized medicine revolution in cancer care

Cancer care is changing to become more individualized and personalized.  Detailed biologic analyses of individual cancers are increasingly enabling treatment to be tailored to match each cancer's unique vulnerabilities.  We wrote about this in a  prior blog post.  


Now, you can watch a great show about personalized cancer care from the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.  Click here to see the show.  Some aspects are specific to the Knight Institute, but most of the program will help you learn about personalized and targeted therapy for cancer.


The call-in lines, by the way, are no longer open.  Folks could call in with questions on the day the show ran on KOIN-TV in Portland.


To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.

To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker

New Phase III Cancer Clinical Trials - December 2011

     Our search, carried out on December 22, showed 22 new phase III trials registered in the last 30 days.  We will highlight two that explore immunotherapy in two very different contexts.  
     The first trial compares the use of the patient's own stimulated killer cells (a part of one's natural immune system) to the use of chemotherapy in advanced lung cancer.  The study is being carried out in China, so it is likely inaccessible to most US cancer patients, but it is a good example of how immunotherapy continues to be a major direction for cancer clinical trials.  
     The second trial tests a vaccine product called NeuVax (TM) to determine if the vaccine can prevent the relapse of breast cancer.  Patients who have early stage node positive breast cancer that has low or intermediate expression of the HER2 protein are eligible.  Experimental treatment follows the completion of standard treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

     You can click on the hyperlinks above to see each individual trial or click here to learn more about both of them:

New immunotherapy trials Dec 2011 (click here - link expires March 21, 2012)
     To see all 22 new phase III trials registered in the last 30 days, click here:
All new phase III cancer trials Dec 2011 (click here - link expires March 21, 2012)