Pivotal test readied for Pfizer’s promising lung cancer drug

Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are gearing up for a late-stage trial of Pfizer's crizotinib, preparing a pivotal test to see if the promising therapy can help a unique subgroup of patients with treatment-resistant lung cancer. Scientists want to test how effective the therapy is among patients whose ALK gene has fused with the EML4 gene, which generates a protein that fires up cancer cell growth. About four percent of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer develop the...

Biomarker breakthrough highlights potential of adaptive trials

Researchers reported a major breakthrough on their use of biomarkers in a study of several existing lung cancer therapies, and their fresh insights into adaptive clinical trials are likely to have a major impact on the way new cancer drugs are studied. The Battle cancer study was mounted by the renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Tumor biopsies from the 255 patients enrolled in the study were examined and the patients were randomly assigned one of four cancer therapies. Eight weeks after...