Lung Cancer

AstraZeneca has initiated a new phase III study of its investigational once-daily oral agent vandetanib (Zactima, ZD6474), known as Study 36.

From 85% to 91% of cancer cases identified by annual CT lung screening in high-risk patients were early stage

Erlotinib (Tarceva) showed activity and was "relatively well tolerated" in chemotherapy-naive elderly patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Roche has announced that the international phase III Avastin in Lung study (AVAiL, BO17704) met its primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated advanced non-squamous-cell, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Merck KGaA has opened enrollment in its global phase III clinical study, known as START, assessing the efficacy and safety of Stimuvax (BLP25 liposome vaccine) as a potential treatment for patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have had a response or stable disease after at least two cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman (shown talking to the media at Super Bowl XLI) has joined Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., Emmy-award winning sportscaster Joe Buck, and the Lung Cancer Alliance (lungcanceralliance.org) for the lung cancer awareness campaign "A Face in the Fight."

Almost 40% of patients with newly diagnosed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) have disease confined to the ipsilateral hemithorax and within a single radiation port, ie, limited-stage disease. The median survival for this group of patients after treatment is approximately 15 months, with one in every four patients surviving 2 years. Current optimal treatment consists of chemotherapy with platinum/etoposide, given concurrently with thoracic radiation. Surgery may represent an option for very early-stage disease, but its added value is uncertain. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is used for patients with limited-stage SCLC who have achieved a complete response following initial therapy, as it decreases the risk of brain metastases and provides an overall survival benefit. Newer targeted agents are currently being evaluated in this disease and hold the promise of improving current outcomes seen in patients with early-stage disease.

Almost 40% of patients with newly diagnosed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) have disease confined to the ipsilateral hemithorax and within a single radiation port, ie, limited-stage disease. The median survival for this group of patients after treatment is approximately 15 months, with one in every four patients surviving 2 years. Current optimal treatment consists of chemotherapy with platinum/etoposide, given concurrently with thoracic radiation. Surgery may represent an option for very early-stage disease, but its added value is uncertain. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is used for patients with limited-stage SCLC who have achieved a complete response following initial therapy, as it decreases the risk of brain metastases and provides an overall survival benefit. Newer targeted agents are currently being evaluated in this disease and hold the promise of improving current outcomes seen in patients with early-stage disease.

Almost 40% of patients with newly diagnosed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) have disease confined to the ipsilateral hemithorax and within a single radiation port, ie, limited-stage disease. The median survival for this group of patients after treatment is approximately 15 months, with one in every four patients surviving 2 years. Current optimal treatment consists of chemotherapy with platinum/etoposide, given concurrently with thoracic radiation. Surgery may represent an option for very early-stage disease, but its added value is uncertain. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is used for patients with limited-stage SCLC who have achieved a complete response following initial therapy, as it decreases the risk of brain metastases and provides an overall survival benefit. Newer targeted agents are currently being evaluated in this disease and hold the promise of improving current outcomes seen in patients with early-stage disease.

Two embryonic stem cell vaccines proved 60% to 100% effective in preventing lung cancer in mice, John W. Eaton

Early data from a phase I study of the targeted immunoconjugate BB-10901, also known as huN901-DM1 (ImmunoGen), has provided evidence of the drug's safety and clinical activity in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and other CD56-positive solid tumors.

Patients with late-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with palliative radiation derive greater value from a longer, less intense course of therapy

The monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) is likely to have a variety of uses in cancer treatment but also carries with it risks that require careful monitoring by oncology nursing staff

In early studies, the albumin-bound 130-nm formulation of paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel, Abraxane) has shown promise in first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Investigators have begun enrolling a select group of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients—those who have never smoked or once smoked lightly—into a phase II trial to determine whether erlotinib (Tarceva), with or without chemotherapy, is effective as first-line treatment.

The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) recently launched screenforlungcancer.org, a new website aimed at educating people at risk for lung cancer about the importance of yearly low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening to promote early detection of the disease.

Surgery remains the initial treatment for patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additional therapy is necessary because of high rates of distant and local disease recurrence after surgical resection. Early trials of adjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative radiation were often plagued by small patient sample size, inadequate surgical staging, and ineffective or antiquated treatment. A 1995 meta-analysis found a nonsignificant reduction in risk of death for postoperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Since then, a new generation of randomized phase III trials have been conducted, some of which have reported a benefit for chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting. The role of postoperative radiation therapy remains to be defined. It may not be beneficial in early-stage NSCLC but still may have utility in stage IIIA disease. Improvement in survival outcomes from adjuvant treatment are likely to result from the evaluation of novel agents, identification of tumor markers predictive of disease relapse, and definition of factors that determine sensitivity to therapeutic agents. Some of the molecularly targeted agents such as the angiogenesis and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are being incorporated into clinical trials. Preliminary results with gene-expression profiles and lung cancer proteomics have been promising. These techniques may be used to create prediction models to identify patients at risk for disease relapse. Molecular markers such as ERCC1 may determine response to treatment. All of these innovations will hopefully increase cure rates for lung cancer patients by maximizing the efficacy of adjuvant therapy.

Surgery remains the initial treatment for patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additional therapy is necessary because of high rates of distant and local disease recurrence after surgical resection. Early trials of adjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative radiation were often plagued by small patient sample size, inadequate surgical staging, and ineffective or antiquated treatment. A 1995 meta-analysis found a nonsignificant reduction in risk of death for postoperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Since then, a new generation of randomized phase III trials have been conducted, some of which have reported a benefit for chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting. The role of postoperative radiation therapy remains to be defined. It may not be beneficial in early-stage NSCLC but still may have utility in stage IIIA disease. Improvement in survival outcomes from adjuvant treatment are likely to result from the evaluation of novel agents, identification of tumor markers predictive of disease relapse, and definition of factors that determine sensitivity to therapeutic agents. Some of the molecularly targeted agents such as the angiogenesis and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are being incorporated into clinical trials. Preliminary results with gene-expression profiles and lung cancer proteomics have been promising. These techniques may be used to create prediction models to identify patients at risk for disease relapse. Molecular markers such as ERCC1 may determine response to treatment. All of these innovations will hopefully increase cure rates for lung cancer patients by maximizing the efficacy of adjuvant therapy.

Surgery remains the initial treatment for patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additional therapy is necessary because of high rates of distant and local disease recurrence after surgical resection. Early trials of adjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative radiation were often plagued by small patient sample size, inadequate surgical staging, and ineffective or antiquated treatment. A 1995 meta-analysis found a nonsignificant reduction in risk of death for postoperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Since then, a new generation of randomized phase III trials have been conducted, some of which have reported a benefit for chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting. The role of postoperative radiation therapy remains to be defined. It may not be beneficial in early-stage NSCLC but still may have utility in stage IIIA disease. Improvement in survival outcomes from adjuvant treatment are likely to result from the evaluation of novel agents, identification of tumor markers predictive of disease relapse, and definition of factors that determine sensitivity to therapeutic agents. Some of the molecularly targeted agents such as the angiogenesis and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are being incorporated into clinical trials. Preliminary results with gene-expression profiles and lung cancer proteomics have been promising. These techniques may be used to create prediction models to identify patients at risk for disease relapse. Molecular markers such as ERCC1 may determine response to treatment. All of these innovations will hopefully increase cure rates for lung cancer patients by maximizing the efficacy of adjuvant therapy.

A striking black-and-white photograph (see Figure) of nursing student Katherine Wilson, a nonsmoker who lived 5 years with small-cell lung cancer before dying in 2005 at age 28, won the Best of the United States first prize in the 2006 Lilly Oncology on Canvas: Expressions of a Cancer Journey International Art Competition and Exhibition. The US competition finale was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, with Lilly President and COO John C. Lechleiter, PhD, presenting the top three US finalists with their awards.

Bisphosphonates are an important part of managing bony metastasis of prostate, breast, lung, and other cancers but can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in some patients.

In its second annual "Clinical Cancer Advances" report, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) selected six notable developments in clinical cancer research as most important in 2006.

Taiwan-based researchers have defined and validated a set of five genes whose degree of expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients closely predicts their relapse-free and overall survival.

A retrospective review of 61 lung cancers identified during annual CT screening of high-risk individuals found that an exceptionally high rate of tumors may have been "overdiagnosed," particularly in women.

Results from Oncolytics Biotech's phase I trial of Reolysin, its oncolytic reovirus, show stable disease in 7 of 32 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists. Dr. Timothy Yap of The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK, presented the study at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics

Postoperative radiotherapy, added to adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy, resulted in a near-doubling of median survival in patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared with chemotherapy alone—but only in the presence of mediastinal lymph node involvement (N2 disease).

Pharmion Corporation has acquired Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals and gained US and European rights to amrubicin, a third-generation synthetic anthracycline currently in phase II trials for small-cell lung cancer in North America and Europe.

A device that displays a holograph-like 3-dimensional (3D) image, created from a CT, MRI, or PET dataset, holds promise for more accurate radiotherapy treatment planning (see image on page 1). James C. H. Chu, PhD, professor of radiation oncology, Rush University Medical Center, presented results of a pilot study of the Perspecta Spatial 3D System, developed by Actuality Systems, Inc. (Bedford, Massachusetts), at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology

Celebrating 20 years of providing practical reviews and peer commentaries to the oncology community in an effort to promote optimal cancer education and quality care for persons with cancer

The standard of care with regard to adjuvant chemotherapy of lung cancer has changed remarkably over the past 3 years. Until the initial report of the International Adjuvant Lung Trial in 2003, there was no real evidence from any individual randomized clinical trial (RCT) that adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in resectable non-small-cell lung cancer. However, five RCTs that have now been reported indicate that adjuvant chemotherapy is effective, at least in certain subgroups of resectable patients. Moreover, numerous meta-analyses have also reported a positive effect from adjuvant treatment. Nonetheless, because of methodologic issues and conflicting results, the question of who should be treated and what constitutes optimal adjuvant therapy remains controversial. This article reviews the recent randomized trials that have contributed to a change in the state of the art, as well as some of the methodologic problems that may have confounded their proper interpretation. It also considers newer approaches to adjuvant therapy, with a particular focus on strategies that incorporate our growing knowledge of molecular medicine and predictive factors to the field of adjuvant chemotherapy of lung cancer.