Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in men and women, but huge randomized trials of thousands of patients have either failed completely or shown negligible survival differences.

Researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, have successfully completed a novel Phase II clinical trial program, BATTLE (Biomarker-integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination). Results suggest that patients prescribed treatment with existing drugs based on their tumor biomarkers benefit more than patients whose treatment is not based on their tumor biomarkers.

The full data on this trial is being withheld until it is presented at the plenary session at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010 on Sunday, April 18 at 11:25 a.m. ET n Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in Washington, D.C.

Media Briefing to Follow Presentation

At 1:00 p.m. ET in room 142 of the convention center, Edward S. Kim, M.D., associate professor of thoracic and head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and lead researcher on the BATTLE trial,will take questions from the media. He will be joined by:
• Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of thoracic medical oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and secondary researcher on the study;
• Deepa Subramaniam, M.D., interim chief of the Center for Thoracic Medical Oncology at Georgetown University Lombardi Cancer Center, who is not involved with the study;
• Jeffrey Wigbels, 60, lung cancer survivor and former participant in the BATTLE trial; and
• Erwin Lobo, 36, lung cancer survivor.

Reporters who cannot attend the briefing in person can call in using the following information:

U.S. and Canada: (888) 282-7404
International: (706) 679-5207
Access Code: 59333370

“The lung cancer research community has produced about five negative trials for every one positive trial, and clinicians are left with no objective information for how to treat patients with lung cancer. The BATTLE trial changes the landscape of lung cancer research and mandates an initiative of biomarker-based treatment strategies.”
— Edward S. Kim, M.D.

“BATTLE has set a precedent for future clinical trials with the goal of identifying biomarkers early on and improving the chance of successful treatment. This biological knowledge will shift the paradigm of how future trials are done.”
— Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D.

“Every oncologist dreams of the day when we can move away from the shotgun approach of chemotherapy that we have used for decades. The BATTLE trial gives us hope that personalized medicine in lung cancer is feasible and may be an effective way to treat patients.”
— Deepa Subramaniam, M.D.

Download interviews with cancer researchers and recordings of the teleconferences by subscribing to the AACR Scientific Podcasts via iTunes (http://www.aacr.org/itunes) or an RSS Reader (http://www.aacr.org/rss).

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 31,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowship and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.

—
Source:  American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)