Roswell Park Physician To Lead National Study For Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer

Main Category: Lung Cancer
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma;  Cancer / Oncology;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 08 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and the Katherine Anne Gioia Chair in Cancer Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute is the chair of a newly-launched national clinical trial: the first ever to determine if biomarkers can help guide therapies for lung cancer.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced the launch of the large clinical trial for non-small cell lung cancer that will be the first ever to validate whether a biomarker could predict clinical benefit in this disease. The study, called MARVEL (Marker Validation for Erlotinib in Lung Cancer), will establish if a biomarker can identify a target known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the effectiveness of drugs to block the target, thus re-defining treatment options for lung cancer patients.

"Roswell Park is pleased to play a leading role in this unique and important study," said Dr. Adjei. "The MARVEL trial is a result of collaboration among several national health care organizations, including the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, NCI co-operative groups, the biomarker industry and the pharmaceutical industry. All are focused on the goal to provide new, more effective treatments to lung cancer patients."

NCI director John E. Niederhuber MD, added, "Because lung cancer is such a lethal disease and because it is particularly difficult to treat, especially if diagnosed in its later stages, the MARVEL trial is of major importance because it could define, based on a single test, the best therapy for this disease."

Approximately 1,200 lung cancer patients will be tested for a high copy number of the EGFR gene by a method called Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization (FISH) status of the marker and then will be randomized based on the outcome of this test. After they receive their initial standard chemotherapy, patients who are both EGFR-positive and EGFR-negative will receive either erlotinib or pemetrexed, two approved treatments for advanced lung cancer. This study will help to understand mechanisms of these drugs and identify patients who will receive the most benefit from these targeted therapies.

An estimated 215,020 people are expected to be diagnosed with lung cancer this year and 161,850 will die from the disease, making lung cancer the number one cancer killer. Non-small cell lung cancer makes up about 85 to 90 percent of all lung cancers diagnosed.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first cancer research, treatment and education center. The Institute was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute