Newsroom

Early phase clinical trials shows promising results in advanced lung cancer


October 12, 2011

A clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre has demonstrated promising results with a new combination therapy for advanced solid cancer, especially lung cancer. The “phase I” study evaluated a new targeted therapy that inhibits the growth of tumour blood vessels (called sunitinib), in combination with the common chemotherapy pemetrexed. Nearly a quarter of the 21 patients with non-small cell lung cancer experienced shrinking of their tumour (partial response), which is more than twice the response rate to either drug on its own, based on previous research. The study was published in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology by Drs. Laura Chow, Derek Jonker and others.

This research was supported by Pfizer Inc. All research at OHRI is also supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.