Crizotinib, a targeted therapy already used to treat lung cancer, has been shown to be effective in treating other cancers, according to a new study. This is the result of the second part of the Acsé program which was presented at the American Congress of Oncology in Chicago.
It is a real hope for patients with cancer in treatment failure or rare cancers for which no treatment exists. Crizotinib, used as a targeted anti-ALK therapy in lung cancer, is also believed to be effective in the treatment of other cancers.
This is the result of the second part of the Acsé program, a program for access to innovative cancer therapies set up by InCa and the results of which were presented in Chicago at the ASCO congress.
An effective molecule for other cancers
Crizonitib obtained marketing authorization in 2012 to treat patients suffering from lung cancer whose tumor has an alteration of the ALK gene, an aggressive form of cancer. This alteration is found in other cancers, as are the associated MET and ROS1 alterations and the target crizotinib.
Since 2013, and through the AcSé program in its crizotinib component, French oncologists were able to access the molecular analysis of their tumor thanks to the 28 hospital genetic sequencing platforms set up by InCa to cover the entire territory. When an ALK or MET or ROS1 abnormality was discovered in their tumor, whatever it is and wherever it is cited, patients were able to test the effectiveness of crizotinib as part of this program. 246 patients, suffering from 22 different cancers, participated in this crizotinib component.
VIDEO ???? Teacher. Gilles Vassal @GustaveRoussy explains the AcSé crizotinib Program, presented at # ASCO18#PrecisionMedicine https://t.co/gENRPgkR7d@Institut_cancer @GroupUNICANCER @ArcFoundation pic.twitter.com/t9znKwkkm1
– GustaveRoussy (@GustaveRoussy) June 1, 2018
Very interesting results
Professor Gilles Vassal is an oncologist and heads clinical research at Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, the leading cancer center in Europe. In an interview conducted at the ASCO congress by the Pourquoi Docteur et Fréquence Médicale teams, he explains: “Thanks to this program, it was possible to give this drug to 246 patients who did not have lung cancer, but who had other cancers carrying the anomaly ALK, ROS1 or MET Second element of satisfaction, the genetic sequencing could be carried out in an efficient way on all the territory thanks to the platforms set up by InCa, thus guaranteeing equal access to all. Finally, the response rates obtained were high for certain gastric cancers and major for anaplastic lymphomas in children. It is a new era which is beginning for some patients. “
Also effective on children
One of the particularly important elements of this program is that children were able to participate in the AcSé program, the youngest being one year old, and this is very good news because childhood cancers are often the poor relatives of oncology. with very few targeted therapies and no immunotherapies.
Some children have even had complete remission when, until now, targeted therapies have been reserved for adults only. Scientists were also able to understand in which cases the drug is not effective: colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer and glioblastoma with amplified MET, a rare abnormality.
Acsé is a medical research program launched in June 2013 by the National Cancer Institute, InCa, promoted by Unicancer and supported by the ARC Foundation for Cancer Research. Its objective is to study the effectiveness of certain treatments against cancers targeted on other types of cancer. It concerns patients who are in treatment failure. Two other components of the AcSé program are underway and should end next year.
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