Ambitious ‘Lung-MAP’ trial to evaluate biomarkers for lung cancer

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

A large-scope, collaborative trail entitled the Lung-MAP Trial will examine tumor specimens from thousands of cancer patients and examine them for actionable molecular abnormalities. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the SWOG research group, five pharmaceutical companies, and several private foundations are all participating in the trial with collectively designed protocol. Tumor specimens are collected locally and then sent to a central laboratory in Massachusetts. Every tumor sample will then be reviewed for protein abnormalities and genetic variants via immunohistochemistry and generation sequencing, respectively. 

The Lung-MAP trial will initially examine five drugs for squamous cell lung cancer. Based on tumor profile, patients will be assigned to investigational arms; the trial structure will greatly increase the likelihood of arm (or sub-study) placement and every enrolled patient will qualify for an investigational agent. The trial should allow scientists to identify tumor changes for which targeted therapy is not yet available.