E-Newsletter - October 2022
Spotlight on Alliance Trials


NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL LUNG Cancer AWARENESS MONTH

November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the lungs, which comprise two spongy organs in a person's chest that take in oxygen when inhaling and release carbon dioxide when exhaling. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. There are two types of lung cancer: 1) non-small cell lung cancer, which comprise about 80 percent to 85 percent of lung cancers, encompasses several types of lung cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma, and 2) small cell lung cancer, which tends to grow and spread faster than non-small cell lung cancer. Lung cancers typically start in the cells lining the bronchi and parts of the lung such as the bronchioles or alveoli. In general, about 13 percent of all lung cancers are small cell lung cancer, and 84 percent are non-small cell lung cancer.

Currently, Alliance has five active trials in its portfolio that have a focus on lung cancer.

  • A021901 (Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors)
  • A081801 (ALCHEMIST chemo-IO)
  • A082002 (Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer)
  • A151216 (ALCHEMIST)
  • A171901 (Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in Older Adults)


A021901 (Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors)

Thomas Hope, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, leads Alliance A021901 (Randomized phase II trial of lutetium Lu 177 dotatate versus everolimus in somatostatin receptor positive bronchial neuroendocrine tumors). This phase II trial studies the effect of lutetium Lu 177 dotatate compared to the usual treatment (everolimus) in treating patients with somatostatin receptor positive bronchial neuroendocrine tumors that have spread to other places in the body (advanced). Radioactive drugs, such as lutetium Lu 177 dotatate, may carry radiation directly to tumor cells and may reduce harm to normal cells. Lutetium Lu 177 dotatate may be more effective than everolimus in shrinking or stabilizing advanced bronchial neuroendocrine tumors. The trial opened on September 10, 2021. Learn more, visit https://bit.ly/Alliance-A021901

Alliance A081801 (ACCIO/Resected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer)

Jacob M. Sands, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, leads Alliance A080801 (Integration of immunotherapy into adjuvant therapy for resected NSCLC: ALCHEMIST chemo-IO ). This phase III ALCHEMIST trial tests the addition of pembrolizumab to usual chemotherapy for the treatment of stage IIA, IIB IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer that has been removed by surgery. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, pemetrexed, carboplatin, gemcitabine hydrochloride, and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving pembrolizumab with usual chemotherapy may help increase survival times in patients with stage IIA, IIB IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. The trial opened on June 3, 2020. Learn more, visit http://bit.ly/Alliance-A081801

Steven Schild, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Arizona, leads Alliance A082002 (A randomized phase II/III trial of modern immunotherapy based systemic therapy with or without SBRT for PD-L1-negative advanced non-small cell lung cancer). The trial compares the addition of radiation therapy to the usual treatment (immunotherapy with or without chemotherapy) vs. usual treatment alone in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (advanced) or has spread to other places in the body (metastatic) whose tumor is also negative for a molecular marker called PD-L1. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a type of radiation therapy that uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. This method uses special equipment to position a patient and precisely deliver radiation to tumors with fewer doses over a shorter period and may cause less damage to normal tissue than conventional radiation therapy. The addition of radiation therapy to usual treatment may stop the cancer from growing and increase the life of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who are PD-L1 negative. The trial opened on December 21, 2021. Learn more, visit CT.gov.

Alliance A151216 (ALCHEMIST)

David Kozono, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, leads Alliance A151216 (Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trial). This ALCHEMIST trial studies genetic testing in screening patients with stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer that has been or will be removed by surgery. Studying the genes in a patient's tumor cells may help doctors select the best treatment for patients that have certain genetic changes. The trial opened on August 18, 2014. Learn more, visit https://bit.ly/AllianceA151216

Alliance A171901 (Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in Older Adults)

Amina Jatoi, MD, of Mayo Clinic, and Melisa Wong, MD, of the University of Califoria San Francisco Medical Center, lead Alliance A171901 (Older non-small cell lung cancer patients (>/= 70 years of age) treated with first-line MK-3475 (pembrolizumab) +/- chemotherapy (oncologist's/patient's choice). This trial studies the side effects of pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy in treating patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer that has come back (recurrent) and has spread to other places in the body (advanced). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pemetrexed and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy may shrink the tumor in older patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The trial opened on October 1, 2020. Learn more, visit http://bit.ly/Alliance-A171901.

 

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