In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, and it makes up about 13% of all new cancer diagnoses. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of death for men and women.
In particular, small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) accounts for 13% of people diagnosed with lung cancer in the US. There are many treatments already being used for small cell carcinoma mainly, platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents and the search for new and better treatments remains a priority in clinical trials. Various treatments are being tested in these clinical trials in the US. The general 5-year survival rate (percent of people who live at least five years after the cancer is found) for people with SCLC is 6% and for people with advanced/extensive stage (which has spread to distant parts of the body) SCLC, it is 3%.
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Due to early spread to distant parts of the body, advanced disease at the time of presentation, unavailability of curative treatment, and poor survival rates, this type of lung cancer holds key importance among clinical researchers and patients suffering from this disease.
There are many ongoing clinical trials in the US that are testing different modalities of treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Some are testing treatments in isolation and some test a combination of two or three treatments. These treatments are targeted at different stages of this disease.
These clinical trials can be of particular interest to people who have a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer particularly extensive-stage small cell lung cancer and are looking for new treatment options to improve their chances of recovery, furthering medical science in search of better treatments for lung cancer and also, who don’t have lung cancer but are still interested in helping medical science advance and help humanity.
Following are a few interesting clinical trials which are targeted at testing different therapeutic drugs for advanced small cell lung cancer and their description, an overview of inclusion criteria, and relevant links are also mentioned.
Vorolanib plus Atezolizumab as Maintenance Therapy:
Table of Contents
- 1 Vorolanib plus Atezolizumab as Maintenance Therapy:
- 2 Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in Recurrent SCLC:
- 3 Chemotherapy and Atezolizumab for patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer:
- 4 Niraparib, Temozolomide, and Atezolizumab in patients with advanced tumors:
- 5 Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab with chemotherapy in untreated ES-SCLC:
This study aims to determine if the addition of Vorolanib, a molecule with antiangiogenic and antineoplastic effects, to immunotherapeutic agent, Atezolizumab in patients who have been treated with standard chemotherapeutic agents recommended for advanced small cell lung carcinoma, leads to an increase in the length of time that participants are cancer-free after the treatment.
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Anyone wishing to be a participant in this study will need to have histologically or cytologically confirmed extensive-stage small cell lung cancer and 3 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy already completed.
Patients need to be 18 years or older and ECOG performance status (a measure which is used to assess general well-being of patients) of less than or equal to 1. Further details about inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found on the link mentioned below.
This trial could be of interest to people who have advanced lung cancer and interested in exploring the benefits of above mentioned potential medical drugs in either treating the disease or preventing relapse.
Vorolanib + Atezolizumab as Maintenance Therapy for Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04373369
Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in Recurrent SCLC:
A pilot study exploring benefits of combination immunotherapy, ipilimumab, and nivolumab, on recurrent extensive SCLC after they have been treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.
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This study will also evaluate the change in the ratio of intramural Teff/Treg cells to determine clinical response.
To participate, patients need to have histologically and cytologically documented extensive-stage small cell lung cancer with documented disease progression and ECOG performance status of 0-2. There are additional inclusion and exclusion criteria that can be studied at the link mentioned below.
Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in Recurrent Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer After Receiving Platinum-based Chemotherapy.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03670056
Chemotherapy and Atezolizumab for patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer:
This multicenter phase II clinical trial aims to study the potential benefits of a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs and Atezolizumab (a monoclonal antibody) in patients with advanced SCLC whose cancer has already spread to the brain but they are not showing any clinical symptoms yet.
A patient wishing to participate will need to be able to sign informed consent, need to be 18 years or older, need to have histological confirmation of the diagnosis of SCLC, and should have at least one untreated asymptomatic brain spread of this cancer. One can take a quick look at other inclusion and exclusion criteria on the link given below.
This study could be of interest to patients who have advanced small cell lung cancer and their cancer has spread to the brain but they have not shown any symptoms and they are looking to limit the progression of this spread and prevent further advancement of this disease.
Chemotherapy and Atezolizumab for Patients with Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) With Untreated, Asymptomatic Brain Metastases.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04610684
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Niraparib, Temozolomide, and Atezolizumab in patients with advanced tumors:
This is a phase Ib/ II clinical trial that aims to determine the best dose of temozolomide (an alkylating agent) and how it functions when given with other drugs like Niraparib (a PARP inhibitor) and Atezolizumab in patients who have solid tumors, advanced lung cancer and who have had a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.
The eligibility to participate in this study depends on the ability to provide informed consent, histological or cytological confirmation of diagnosis, ECOG performance status of less than 1, and ability to swallow drugs. There are further inclusion criteria that include specific cut-off values for various tests, including blood cell counts, serum creatinine, AST, INR, and aPTT. Details about required specific values of these tests and additional guidelines in inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found at the link below.
This study can be useful for people with advanced lung cancer who have had treatment with platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents and are looking to explore other treatment options to improve their condition.
Niraparib, Temozolomide, and Atezolizumab in Treating Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors and Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer With a Complete or Partial Response to Platinum-Based First-Line Chemotherapy.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03830918
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Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab with chemotherapy in untreated ES-SCLC:
This is a phase I multicenter clinical trial. It aims to study the safety and tolerability of durvalumab ( an anti-programmed death-ligand antibody) and tremelimumab (anti cytotoxic T- lymphocyte-associated protein 4 antibody) in combination with intravenous carboplatin plus etoposide in patients with ES-SCLC who have not yet been treated with any drug.
To be eligible to participate in this study, participants need to be 18 years or older, histological or cytologically confirmed ES-SCLC, should have a body weight of greater than 30 kg and no active secondary malignancy should be present.
Any patients participating in another clinical study, history of chemotherapy/immunotherapy, use of immunosuppressive agents and any active infection will not be able to participate in this study. Furthermore, a detailed look can be taken at inclusion/exclusion criteria in the mentioned link.
A Study of Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab With Chemotherapy in Untreated ES-SCLC.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03963414
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References
Lung cancer- Small cell: Statistics. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer-small-cell/statistics
Small cell lung cancer. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/small-cell-lung-cancer
Small cell lung cancer treatment- Health profession version. https://www.cancer.gov/types/lung/hp/small-cell-lung-treatment-pdq
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