Crizotinib Shows Promise Against Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Major Finding: In 82 patients with non–small-cell lung cancers that showed rearrangements in the ALK gene, crizotinib produced an overall response rate of 57% and stabilized disease in another 33% of patients; 6-month progression-free survival was estimated to be 72%.
Data Source: A multicenter, open-label phase I clinical trial.
Disclosures: Dr. Kwak’s study was supported by Pfizer, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, the Aid for Cancer Research Foundation, National Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Institutes of Health, American Society for Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dr. Kwak and her associates reported numerous financial ties to 67 drug, device, and technology companies. Dr. Choi's study was supported in part by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Dr. Choi reported ties to Astellas Pharmaceuticals, and associates reported ties to 15 drug, device, and technology companies. Dr. Butrynski's study was supported by Pfizer, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute–American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation, and Cycle for Survival. His associates reported ties to 29 drug, device, and technology companies.
FROM THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
The second patient, a 21-year-old man with IMT involving the stomach, large intestine, gall bladder, and spleen, did not respond to crizotinib, instead showing continued disease progression.
Further analysis showed that the tumor in patient 1 had ALK rearrangements while that in patient 2 did not. Together, these two cases indicate that crizotinib’s mechanism of action is to disrupt mutations in ALK signaling pathways that certain cancers require for continued growth. The drug is effective only in those IMTs with ALK rearrangements (N. Engl. J. Med. 2010;363:1727-33).
"Patient 1 continues to have an excellent performance status and only mild side effects, supporting the tolerability of the long-term administration of crizotinib," Dr. Butrynski and his colleagues added.
Dr. Kwak’s study was supported by Pfizer, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, the Aid for Cancer Research Foundation, National Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Institutes of Health, American Society for Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dr. Kwak and her associates reported numerous financial ties to 67 drug, device, and technology companies.
Dr. Choi’s study was supported in part by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Dr. Choi reported ties to Astellas Pharmaceuticals, and associates reported ties to 15 drug, device, and technology companies.
Dr. Butrynski’s study was supported by Pfizer, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute–American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation, and Cycle for Survival. His associates reported ties to 29 drug, device, and technology companies.
