CRAB CTC enrolls first patient into inaugural cancer clinical trial

Cancer research non-profit leads consortium of treating oncologists teamed up to advance treatment options

Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB) today announced enrollment of the first patient into the inaugural clinical trial sponsored by its Clinical Trials Consortium (CTC). The CRAB CTC mission is to ensure rapid clinical testing of new and innovative cancer treatments, and is focusing on lung cancer as its first target. By engaging frontline treating oncologists to push the boundaries of patient care, the aim is to improve the standard of care and extend overall survival. The trial is being funded by Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Amgen subsidiary.

"With an estimated 226,000 new cases this year, lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and is a leading cause of death among both men and women", remarked Glen J. Weiss, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the consortium, Director of Clinical Research for Cancer Treatment Centers of America- Western Regional Medical Center, and Clinical Associate Professor at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona. "CRAB CTC provides the crucial support needed to advance treatment options by engaging leading oncologists and pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to design and execute clinical trials that represent the leading edge of research."

The first CTC study to enroll a subject, ID: CRAB CTC 11-001; NCT01941316 on the clinicaltrials.gov website, is designed to determine a maximum tolerated dose of carfilzomib in combination with Camptosar- (irinotecan) in subjects with relapsed small and non-small cell lung cancer or other irinotecan-sensitive cancers, and to assess the 6 month survival of relapsed small cell lung cancer. This approach will then be evaluated in subjects with small cell lung cancer that have relapsed after their initial treatment. Carfilzomib is a proteasome inhibitor owned by Onyx. Onyx will provide carfilzomib drug supply for the trial.

Susanne Arnold, MD, the study's Principal Investigator and a member of the consortium, believes the initiation of this first CRAB CTC study is a "hallmark event and strategic moment for lung cancer clinical research. As a treating oncologist, I recognize the unmet medical needs of my patients. Our hope is through combining the efforts of like-minded oncologists and clinical trial experts, cutting-edge research will lead to more treatment options and ultimately better outcomes for lung cancer patients." Dr. Arnold is an Associate Director of Clinical Research and Buck-Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Chair at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.