Nature's big break! Clinical trials of precision treatment of lung cancer have been successful.

New Year's Day - A pioneering lung cancer study led by the UK Clinical Trials Team at the University of Birmingham Cancer Research Centre has highlighted important factors to consider in the next wave of precision medicine research, especially for the treatment of complex genomic cancersThe National Lung Matrix Trial, published in the journal, is the world's largest clinical trial of precision medicine for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, funded by Cancer Research UK and supported by the charity Statendic Medicine Project Phase II screening platformWorking with pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca costs tens of thousands of pounds and is backed by the NHS in EnglandDifferent treatment options are matched to different groups of patients based on genetic changes in cancerAn innovative pilot design combines multiple treatments to provide a more flexible and informed approach compared to traditional clinical trialsEach set of tests was tested for different targeted treatments for non-small cell lung cancer for different genotypesPhoto Source: The adaptive approach to this trial allows it to be either immediately joined or easily withdrawn from the trial if there is evidence that new drugs and combinations of drugs are ineffectiveCancer Research UK conducts genetic screening of patients who sign up to see what type of tumour they have and whether they have the genetic characteristics that match the targeted treatmentA total of patients were recruited into a targeted treatment group for the trial from the beginning of the trial until the beginning of the yearThe results show the importance of using key lessons of precision medicine, such as appropriate preclinical work in defining biomarker drug combinations in clinical testing, the need to ensure that the best drugs are available for genomic targets, and the importance of analyzing and publishing data on the results of an ongoing studyOnly patients have a high rate of treatment lossSince the trial usually progresses on cancer at the end of the patient's journey, the patient may be too uncomfortable to participate in the trialTargeted therapy trials should be conducted early in cancer development and blood-based genomic testing should be used to quickly obtain the information patients need to match the drugLead author Professor, medical oncologist at the University of Birmingham, said: "This study provides data on how to design the next wave of experimental targeted therapies for complex cancersThis is the first time such a trial of a new Bayesian design has allowed open group result data to be reported simultaneously with closed group data, while previous umbrella studies have published only the results of the entire group"We found that tumors with complex genomes are difficult to target and treat, especially single-drug treatments, which are more difficultThe models we tested were too simple for them to reflect the genomic complexity of tumors and not the trajectory of rapid tumor development We need to take into account the complexity of human tumors and models of development already to determine whether a drug is effective "Researchers say this is a landmark and complex innovative design experiment that represents a major change in how we understand how to develop precision medicine to treat cancer Image caption Dr Cancer Research UK' research director said: "Cancer Research UK's flagship project will continue to provide important insights into how we treat genomically diverse cancers such as lung cancer Not only will it provide sophisticated precision drugs for ideas that shape future research, but it also demonstrates that molecular diagnostic tests and clinical studies can work in a truly integrated way across the UK NHS to get patients access to the latest treatments "At the end of the year I was diagnosed with stage metastatic lung cancer that has spread to the glands of the chest I was recommended to a professor at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and recruited to attend Fortunately, my biopsy showed that a genetic marker matched a therapeutic weapon in the trial and was given a targeted anti-cancer drug This pioneering study saved my life I can now live a relatively active life, including spending time with my family at my local gym for exercise classes "The next step is to continue to recruit patients A new joint arm has just been added to the study and opened in early June There will also be more publications on single arms and queues, as well as the work of the conversion lab () References: :