CTCA doctor presents studies at World Conference on Lung Cancer in Australia

Glen J. Weiss, MD, Director of Clinical Research, Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) is presenting two key studies, including one today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer being held in Sydney, Australia.

The first study, presented on October 28, involved recent results of the investigational drug, TSR-011, a potent, orally available ALK and TRK inhibitor being developed for the treatment of solid tumors including lung cancer.

The second study, presented October 30, involved analysis of Ki67, a measure of how fast cells multiply, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors collected before chemotherapy and after surgery. The study was designed to see if changes in Ki67 correlated with response to therapy and/or other clinical outcomes.

The ongoing Phase 1/2a trial of TSR-011 is a sequential, open-label, two part study with dose escalation in Phase 1 followed by expansion into selected cohorts in Phase 2a. Following identification of a recommended Phase 2 dose and schedule, Phase 2a will be initiated to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TSR-011 in a variety of tumor settings that express or have activating mutations in ALK or TRK.

Weiss adds, "TSR-011 has shown preliminary clinical activity against several tumor types, including all ALK+ NSCLC that has progressed on crizotinib. TSR-011 appears to be a promising agent for both ALK-dependent and crizotinib resistant NSCLC."

In the study involving Ki67, the authors, including Dr. Weiss, surveyed 46 matched pre- and post-operative samples from 4 hospitals. Surprisingly, 9 patients (19.6%) had an increase in Ki67 index after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy used prior to surgical removal of tumor). Yet, the authors found no statistically significant associations with Ki67, survival, or response with gender, type of NSCLC, or type of chemotherapy.

Dr. Weiss explains, "Surprisingly, about 1 in 5 non-small cell lung cancer tumors we analyzed had a higher proliferative index after neoadjuvant chemotherapy; though this finding did not appear to have an impact on patient survival."

Both studies also will be published in a special supplement of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Provided by Cancer Treatment Centers of America