Fourth study seeks 1,000 patients who are candidates for neoadjuvant therapy

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – The Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC) kicks off its fourth study, facilitated by the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF), examining targeted drugs given as single agents and combinations as neoadjuvant therapies matched to specific genetic mutations. The screening trial, LCMC4 Evaluation of Actionable Drivers in EaRly Stage Lung Cancer (LEADER), is conducted through the LCMC and is a collaborative effort involving numerous academic study sites and pharmaceutical supporters.

Utilizing an umbrella trial design, the goal of the study is to screen for ten actionable driver mutations in 1,000 lung cancer patients who are candidates for neoadjuvant therapy (additional therapy before surgery.) The LEADER trial, together with matched industry-sponsored therapeutic trials, aims to develop data that will support oncologists in their targeted treatment planning for cancer patients prior to the patient undergoing surgical resection.

Katerina Politi, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, LCRF Scientific Advisory Board Chair

“Matching therapies to the oncogenic driver present in a lung tumor has improved outcomes for patients with advanced lung cancer. Understanding how this approach can be extended to patients with early-stage lung cancer has the potential to further transform how we treat this disease and have a positive impact on patients,” said Katerina Politi, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine and chair of LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board.

The LEADER trial will include participation from sites and investigators across the oncology community. In addition to Vanderbilt University, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, other prospective participating sites include Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Yale University, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Columbia University, NYU, Karmanos Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State, Virginia Cancer Specialists, Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Miami, University of Missouri, Washington University, University of Colorado, Cedars-Sinai, St. Joseph Hospital Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, City of Hope Cancer Center, UCLA, USC Norris Cancer Center, University of California-Davis, and University of Washington.

Early-stage lung cancer patients who are interested in participating in the LCMC LEADER trial should discuss the study with their oncologist to determine eligibility.

To learn more about LCRF and its grants program, visit LCRF.org/research.

To learn more about LCMC and the LEADER trial, visit LCRF.org/LCMC4.