Lung Cancer Research
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death, annually causing over 160,000 deaths in the US and over a million deaths world wide. Treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, it is also one of the most intractable, with a 5 year survival rate of 14%. Below are highlights of two SWCRF sponsored research projects on lung cancer treatment and prevention.
PHASE I AND II CLINICAL TRIALS OF DRUGS TO PREVENT AND FIGHT LUNG CANCER – Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky, Andrew G. Wallace Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, American Cancer Society Professor, Dartmouth Medical School
Vitamin A derivatives called retinoids are widely used in cancer therapy and chemo-prevention, but they are not effective against lung cancer. Dr. Dmitrovsky is exploring the promising use of a non-standard retinoid, or rexinoid, which appears to circumvent the cell mechanism that causes resistance to retinoids. The rexinoid being studied is already approved by the FDA, which would accelerate the process of changing patient treatment if the drug is effective. The Foundation has supported this work since its original funding of tissue studies that showed that the rexinoid had anti-cancer effect in lung cancer tissues and was worth investigating. Patients with advanced lung cancer and no other treatment options showed a positive response in a Phase 1 clinical trial testing the combination of rexinoid treatment with another FDA-approved drug, Tarceva. The research is now in Phase II clinical trials, in conjunction with Dr. Waxman’s team, where the effectiveness and safety of the multi-drug regimen is being evaluated in lung cancer patients. In addition to offering a new approach to treatment, this work shows promise as a means by which lung cancer may be prevented. The significance of this line of research is demonstrated by the fact it was the basis on which Dr. Dmitrovsky was awarded a highly competitive American Cancer Society Professorship this year.
NEW WAY TO FIGHT AND PREVENT LUNG CANCER IDENTIFIED - Dr. Reuben Lotan, Deputy Division Head for Research, Cancer Medicine; M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Genes produce proteins that tell a cell how to behave. Dr. Lotan’s lab identified a gene which produces a lung-specific tumor suppressor protein. They demonstrated that the absence of this protein is associated with a higher level of cancer development and with an inflammatory environment in the lung that promotes cancer development. The laboratory has shown that use of an already-approved anti-inflammatory asthma drug reduced tumors in mice that lacked the protective protein. Once again, the use of a drug already approved by the FDA will accelerate the eventual implementation of this research, if further work supports a change in patient care. Controlling inflammation opens a new approach to prevention of lung cancer in addition to its treatment.
Liver Cancer Research 
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