mec1969
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Posts:3
Hi all,
My dad whose 77 years old was diagnosed with stage 3 adeno. The doctors at Windship Emory wants him to participate in a clinical trial of RTOG-1306... This trial is for the less advanced form of LC in patients. My question is: will it benefit my dad to take crizotinib for 3 months and then move onto his traditional chemo/rad? Otherwise, he will start chemo/rad, next week. Any suggestions? Thanks..
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Reply # - March 3, 2015, 12:52 PM
Hi mec, I'm very sorry to
Hi mec, I'm very sorry to know your dad has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
It sounds as though your dad is not a candidate for surgery though chemo/rad can be of much benefit and possibly a cure. Windship is a leading cancer center so I'd say they have vetted you dad well. However there is no way to say whether crizotinib then chemo/rads will be better than chemo/rads alone. These are the first of these trials so there is no data to say one way or other. The idea for the trial is that the tumor can be shrunk with crizotinib to have a better chance at destroying the cancer with chemo/rads.
What is known is crizotinib reduces cancer burden very well in a subset of people with stage IV nsclc, those with ALK and ROS1 mutations. Trials are only beginning for those with earlier stage cancer. We have quite a bit written on the subject and can find it here, http://cancergrace.org/lung/category/lung-cancer/general-lung-cancer-is… again these have a focus on ALK and ROS1 in those with stage IV disease though there should be info on the subject that is helpful.
This is a link to the trial your dad is considering, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01822496?term=RTOG-1306&rank=1
Please let us know what is decided on,
Janine
Reply # - March 3, 2015, 03:04 PM
Dr. Ross and Weiss,
Dr. Ross and Weiss,
What would you recommend your patients, with an opportunity to participate in this trial? Thank you! Mec
Reply # - March 3, 2015, 05:33 PM
mec1969, One of our faculty,
mec1969, One of our faculty, hopefully Dr. Weiss will respond though sometimes it takes a bit for them to find the time. We're so lucky to have them though we do have tons of expert commentary available. Below is a series on trials that can be helpful while waiting on comment.
http://cancergrace.org/cancer-101/2013/01/06/clin-trials-ramalingam-pt-…
http://cancergrace.org/cancer-101/2013/01/18/how-are-clin-trials-develo…
http://cancergrace.org/cancer-101/2013/01/27/ramalingam-clin-trials-pt-…
Reply # - March 3, 2015, 06:53 PM
We don't know the answer to
We don't know the answer to whether it's beneficial, which is why we're doing the trial. But I think most oncologists think the trial has a compelling rationale and is worth enrolling patients onto.
Good luck.
-Dr. West
Reply # - March 4, 2015, 02:44 PM
Thank you, Dr. West...
Thank you, Dr. West...
Reply # - March 5, 2015, 03:09 PM
I have to agree here. For
I have to agree here. For ALK rearranged metastatic NSCLC, it's clear that crizotinib is a powerful option. I have equipoise as to whether it will help when integrated into attempts at cure, as you describe. The rationale, as Dr. West notes, is strong, but it will be virtually impossible to say if it really helps until the study is done.