Hope for Lung Cancer Patients
- The world’s first-ever lung cancer vaccine trial, an early phase I trial, has just begun, launching across 34 research sites in the following seven countries: Germany, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Spain, the UK and the US.
- A patient at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), Janusz Racz, 67, who happens to be a scientist himself, was the first to get the jab, which is designed to try to stop the cancer from ever coming back.
- Patients are allowed to walk away at any time during a trial. Understanding your rights as a voluntary patient is important before you participate in a clinical trial, and understanding that the treatment may not work is also crucial. Discuss the potential risks and benefits with your doctor to determine if a specific clinical trial is right for you. In the meantime, here is SurvivorNet’s Clinical Trial Finder tool to assist you in your research.
A phase 1 study is the usually the first time a drug is tested on a human, according to the American Cancer Society.
Read MoreRacz said his profession inspired him to be a part of this trial. “I am a scientist too, and I understand that the progress of science – especially in medicine – lies in people agreeing to be involved in such investigations.”
RELATED: SurvivorNet’s Guide To Clinical Trials: What Are They And Are They Right for You?
“It would be very beneficial to me, because it’s a new methodology not available for other patients that can help me to get rid of the cancer,” continued Racz, who was diagnosed in May and began chemotherapy and radiation treatment. “And also, I can be a part of the team that can provide proof of concept for this new methodology, and the faster it would be implemented across the world, [the] more people will be saved.”
UCLH consultant medical oncologist Siow Ming Lee, who leads the national study, said that “We are now entering this very exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy clinical trials to investigate the treatment of lung cancer, thanks to the foundation laid by the Government’s Office for Life Sciences.”
UCLH states that approximately 130 participants will be enrolled in the study across the 34 research sites in the seven countries. “This is early stage research which will only recruit 20 patients across the UK so the drug will not be widely available.”
You can search for a clinical trial for lung cancer — which gives patients like Racz a chance to try a treatment before it’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — HERE.
Learning More About Clinical Trials
Within the U.S., all new drugs must go through clinical trials before the FDA approves them. Although the rewards of clinical trials can be beneficial, they also come with risks. Talking with your doctor before enrolling in a trial is important.
Some risks to consider include:
- The risk of harm and/or side effects due to experimental treatments
- Researchers may be unaware of some potential side effects of experimental treatments
- The treatment may not work for you, even if it has worked for others
Dr. Beth Karlan, an oncologist at UCLA Health, previously discussed the topic of clinical trials with SurvivorNet.
“Clinical trials hopefully can benefit you, but it also provides very, very vital information to the whole scientific community about the effectiveness of these treatments,” Dr. Karlan said. “They can be life-saving. We’ve seen many children and adults who have participated in trials and had miraculous results in the last few years.”
Watch: Dr. Jim Allison explains to SurvivorNet how immunotherapy works
Before you enroll in a trial, you must be allowed to read the consent documents thoroughly and to ask any questions you may have. The documents will likely contain the following:
- The purpose of the research
- Any risks and benefits expected from the research
- Information about procedures that may cause discomfort (like frequent blood tests)
- Any alternative procedures the patient might consider instead
- How the patient’s information will be kept private
- How long the study is expected to take
- A form confirming you are participating in research voluntarily
- Whether any compensation or additional medical care is available if some sort of injury occurs
- The patient’s rights (like the right to stop research in the middle of the trial)
- Contacts for any patient questions
Patients are allowed to walk away at any time during a trial. Understanding your rights as a voluntary patient is important before you participate in a clinical trial, and understanding that the treatment may not work is also crucial.
Lung Cancer: The Basics
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society says there will be around 234,580 new cases of lung cancer in 2024 and an estimated 125,070 deaths. Lung cancer can be particularly tricky to treat because often, symptoms don’t show up until the cancer has spread to other organs.
There are two main types of lung cancer, which doctors group together based on how they act and how they’re treated:
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type and makes up about 85% of cases
- Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is less common, but it tends to grow faster than NSCLC and is treated very differently
- Though non-smokers do get lung cancer, cases are declining because smoking rates are on the decline. Also, there have been improvements in surgical techniques and radiation delivery that have improved outcomes and decreased side effects.
In addition to the promise of this early study, newer treatments — like immunotherapy and targeted agents — are dramatically improving the length and quality of life for people who are diagnosed with lung cancer.
Diagnosing lung cancer and determining treatment
Some people with lung cancer can experience the following symptoms:
- A cough that doesn’t go away, that gets worse, or that brings up bloody phlegm
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Hoarse voice
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
Mention any of these lingering symptoms to your doctor, who will ask questions to get a better picture of what is happening inside your body. If your symptoms suggest lung cancer, you’ll likely need to have more tests.
Contributing by SurvivorNet staff.
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