Dr. Arjan Gower, a hematologist/oncologist at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has received a research grant from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network to study a promising new targeted therapy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with rare EGFR mutations.
The $950,000 grant, awarded in collaboration with Taiho Oncology, Inc., will help launch a multi-institutional clinical trial led by Dr. Gower to test zipalertinib, an investigational drug that targets specific EGFR mutations, including Exon 20 insertions, which are known to drive cancer growth and resist standard treatments. The study will explore its use in the neoadjuvant setting, before surgery, when intervention has the greatest potential to prevent recurrence and improve long-term outcomes.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, accounting for about one in five cancer fatalities. While advances in treatment have improved outcomes for many patients, those with certain genetic mutations such as alterations in the EGFR gene face more limited options. EGFR mutations are less common but play a key role in driving tumor growth, and some variants are particularly difficult to treat. These mutations often do not respond well to standard therapies, especially in the early stages of disease, leaving patients with few effective targeted treatments.
“Targeted therapies have transformed the care for many patients with lung cancer, but those with uncommon EGFR mutations like Exon 20 still face significant gaps in treatment,” said Gower. “Our goal is to bring precision medicine earlier into the treatment course for these patients and increase their chances of cure.”