The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has commenced a clinical trial to qualify imaging biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
EORTC trial 1217 is designed to evaluate the use of PET with a F-18 fluorothymidine (FLT-PET) radiotracer and diffusion-weighted MR (DWI-MRI) in patients with early-stage NSCLC treated with preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery. Researchers plan to enroll 40 patients at a total of eight institutions in Italy, the Netherlands, and the U.K.
Study coordinator Dr. Nandita deSouza of the Royal Marsden Hospital-Sutton in the U.K. said FLT-PET will be used to monitor tumor cell proliferation and DWI-MRI will monitor tumor cell death. Values obtained from the scans at the beginning of treatment will be compared with those obtained two weeks later, as well as with pathological results, such as the percentage of viable residual tumor cells measured in surgical specimens.
The analysis could help researchers determine whether imaging can help qualify tumor cell proliferation and tumor cell death in patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer.
