LungBlog

According to results recently presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), prophylactic cranial radiation following treatment with chemotherapy doubles survival at one year and reduces the risk of developing brain metastasis among patients with extensive-disease small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Researchers involved in an International Study have confirmed that the oral form of Hycamtin is as effective as the IV form for the second line palliative treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The details of this randomized trial appeared in the May 20, 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, today announced that data from a Phase 2 trial of picoplatin, the Company’s lead product candidate, in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) will be presented in a poster session at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, today announced treatment of the first patient with picoplatin in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Picoplatin, the Company’s lead product candidate, is a new generation platinum therapy with an improved safety profile designed to overcome and prevent platinum resistance associated with chemotherapy in solid tumors. The Phase 3 trial, known as SPEAR (Study of Picoplatin Efficacy After Relapse), received a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has initiated patient enrollment for a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of glufosfamide in patients with recurrent, sensitive small cell lung cancer.”The fatality rate among patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer is unfortunately high,” said John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D., Karmanos Cancer Institute, and a clinical investigator for the trial. “Currently available second-line chemotherapy has very limited expectations of benefit. This clinical trial explores another treatment option for these patients.”

According to an article recently published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, intensified doses of the chemotherapy regimen referred to as ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide) improve median survival compared to standard doses of ICE in the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  today announced that the company will advance the small-cell lung cancer trial in treatment-sensitive patients to Stage 2.

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the company will advance the small-cell lung cancer trial in treatment-sensitive patients to Stage 2. The company reported initial results from the first stages of two Phase 2 clinical trials of SNS-595, a novel cell-cycle inhibitor, in first- line relapsed/refractory small cell and non-small cell lung cancers. Anti- tumor activity was observed, including evidence of stable disease, minor responses and partial responses reported in one arm of the small cell lung cancer study, and minor and mixed responses and stable disease in the non- small cell lung cancer trial.

Approximately half of patients with advanced small cell lung cancer responded to Introgen Therapeutics, Inc.’s INGN 225 molecular cancer vaccine in combination with subsequent chemotherapy.

Eli Lilly and Company has launched a major clinical trial evaluating ALIMTA (pemetrexed for injection) in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a devastating and rapidly spreading form of lung cancer. This international trial, expected to be the largest ever to be conducted in SCLC(1), will assess the potential clinical benefit of pemetrexed in combination with carboplatin, a commonly-used chemotherapeutic agent, in direct comparison to the current leading treatment option of etoposide in combination with carboplatin.