Cancer Research UK leads global lung cancer drug trial

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Cancer Research UK scientists in Oxford are testing an experimental drug for the treatment of patients with lung cancer that no longer respond to initial chemotherapy treatment. The process takes place at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.

The international early phase II study by a team based at the Oxford Cancer Research Centre is guided study, that the experimental drug LY2181308 with advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients called chemotherapy - the first standard treatment for this group no longer responding to Platinum.

LY2181308, survivin make a protein called growing cells - has blocked the possibility of cancer cells and cell death decisively is indisposed. This combination of "immortal" cells with uncontrolled growth causes cancer.

In tumors and cancer cells kills his production to prevent often find elevated levels of survivin. It is rare in healthy tissue as the drug is only targeting cancer cells - this is to reduce an important side effects.

The study consists of two elements. A group of patients after Platinum docetaxel alone - receive the normal standard of care treatment. The other group receives LY2181308 together with docetaxel.

This is one of the first studies on the new Oxford Cancer Research Centre to develop Oxford Radcliffe hospitals, the University of Oxford and Cancer Research UK, new treatments for cancer patients and they bring the patient as soon as possible bringing together.

Trial chief investigator, Dr. Denis Talbot, consultant oncologist at the Oxford Radcliffe hospitals and clinicians Cancer Research UK at the University of Oxford, said: "It is very encouraging that we can take this new experimental drug for the treatment of lung cancer in further development." We hope that it can increase survival rates for lung cancer patients.

"Survival from this disease remains low." One reason for this is that the most - 65-75-percent - are diagnosed patients with lung cancer if the cancer has already aggressive, makes it more difficult to treat successfully. There is an urgent need, develop new drugs that can provide additional options for these patients.

"We will look forward to the results of this study with great interest."

Survival rates for all types of lung cancer are still low. Less than 10 percent of patients with lung cancer survive more than five years after diagnosis the disease.

Non-small cell lung cancer accounts around 85 percent of all lung cancer cases. Some 30,000 people are Walker, Cancer Research UK Director of cancer information with this form of the disease in the United Kingdom every year diagnostiziert.Dr. Lesley, said: "we have progress in recent years, to discover new ways to fight lung cancer and this important study brings more opportunities for this difficult disease to treat."We were involved in the development and testing of different drugs often used to the disease including cisplatin and carboplatin to treat. "And it's exciting, research introduces new potential drug testing which hopefully one day helps increase the survival rate for lung cancer patients."

Notes

The international study will run until 2012. The process is running at five UK centres in London, Nottingham, Oxford, Aberdeen, Sheffield and Manchester.It also on nine U.S. centers and several centres are run in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Poland.See here.

LY2181308 is the property of Eli Lilly and company limited, which financed the studies. The tests are administered by icon plc. LY2181308 is an antisense oligonucleotides, which blocked the messenger RNA (mRNA) required, so that survivin. mRNA, the genetic information is required to translate genetic information into proteins necessary for life. The molecule was originally developed by ISIS pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad/CA developed. Will find here.

Pre clinical work

Part of pre-clinical work for the development of the drug was conducted at the University of Oxford by cancer research UK scientists Dr. Denis Talbot and his team. This work showed that the drug in cancer cell was effective.

Dr Talbot's team analyzed biopsies from these patients before and after they received the drug. You developed techniques in the laboratory to prove that survivin levels in patients with lung cancer receive the drug went.

This work was funded cancer medicine centre part of Oxford experimental.

Docetaxel is one of two standard chemotherapy in patients whose disease has progressed, after they have received already platinum based chemotherapy. The majority of these patients relapse three to six months after this initial therapy. Docetaxel blocks a protein called BCL-2, which prevent, destroy the cell itself that if it is incorrect.

Pemetrexed is an anti-cancer drug for the treatment of patients, whose cancer advanced chemotherapy is used after a first line - initial -. A third approved treatment is called an epidermal growth factor (EGFR) inhibitor erlotinib.

Source:
Cancer Research UK