Gene Mutations Dictate Treatment in NCI Clinical Trial

More than 40 patients with mesothelioma have been screened for NCI-MATCH, the novel clinical trial pairing tumor-related gene abnormalities with a drug targeting the corresponding mutation, regardless of cancer type. The multicenter program is the largest precision medicine clinical trial ever conducted, with more than 5,500 patients already participating nationwide. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsors the phase II trial called Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH), which opened in 2015. The study was designed for patients with various solid tumors, myeloma and lymphoma that have progressed after standard-of-care treatment. It was also intended for rare cancers such as mesothelioma to determine if therapies targeting specific gene mutations would work across different cancer types. Matching patients with treatment based upon genetic mutations is not how cancers are traditionally treated. Potential for Future Treatment Advances The early results have been promising. “NCI-MATCH represents the first attempt to systemically leverage next-generation sequencing to explore so many therapies in parallel,” Dr. Keith Flaherty, study chairman and medical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in an NCI press release. “We have accelerated the opportunity to find signals of efficacy.” The ongoing trial is enrolling patients at 1,100 community hospitals and cancer centers around the country, including Puerto Rico. Among the drugs being tested are defac...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news