Seattle, WA, December 6, 2013 – 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.
CRAB was founded in 1997 by John Crowley, PhD, a world-recognized leader in statistical design and analysis of cancer clinical trials. Dr. Crowley led the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) statistical center for 28 years, during which time he pioneered now standard methods of analysis used in clinical research and cancer staging. The mission of the CRAB CTC is to accelerate the clinical development of the most promising therapeutic agents. The Consortium's members include clinical and translational investigators who share a passion to bring new advances to lung cancer patients as rapidly as possible. The CRAB CTC, led by Jennifer Newman, Program Manager, facilitates Investigator Initiated and Phase I – III clinical trials.
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America®
CTCA is a national network of hospitals focusing on complex and advanced stage cancer. CTCA offers a comprehensive, fully integrated approach to cancer treatment and serves patients from all 50 states at facilities located in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa. Known for delivering the Mother Standard® of care and Patient Empowerment Medicine®, CTCA provides patients with information about cancer and their treatment options so they can control their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to http://www.cancercenter.com.
Media Contacts:
Nancy Salts
nancys@crab.org
Camptosar® (irinotecan) is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc.