February 2012
- KIT & PDGFRA mutations in GIST: A to Z
- Clinical trial confirms Gleevec reduces recurrence
- Immunotherapy trial strives to improve Gleevec response
- Adjuvant Gleevec Q&A with Jonathan Trent and Jerry Call
- AMN107 (Tasigna) now open at Fox Chase Cancer Center
- May 2007 Clinical Trial Update
May 2007
- KIT & PDGFRA mutations in GIST: A to Z by Michael Heinrich, M.D. In 1988, Dr. Seiichi Hirota and his scientific team in Japan discovered that GISTs express the KIT protein (aka c-Kit or CD117). In addition, they found that in most GISTs the KIT protein has been mutated so that it provides an inappropriately high level of growth stimulation to the tumor cells.
- Clinical trial confirms Gleevec reduces recurrence On April 12, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American College of Surgeons (ACOSOG) and Novartis pharmaceuticals announced that a phase III trial studying Gleevec use to prevent recurrence in patients whose primary Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) had been removed by surgery would be ended early because it had met its primary endpoint of increasing recurrence free survival with a statistically significant hazard ratio of 3.1.
- Immunotherapy trial strives to improve Gleevec response While most GIST patients experience a good initial response to Gleevec, most will eventually relapse. A new phase II GIST trial is set to try to significantly improve the initial response and duration of remission of GIST patients to Gleevec, by combining it with pegylated interferon, described later.
- Adjuvant Gleevec Q&A with Jonathan Trent and Jerry Call Following the announcement that Gleevec reduces recurrence in GIST (May 2007 newsletter), LRG Science Coordinator Jerry Call asked Dr. Jonathan Trent of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX follow-up questions as clarification on the trial.
- AMN107 (Tasigna) now open at Fox Chase Cancer Center The AMN107 phase III trial is now open at Fox Chase.
- May 2007 Clinical Trial Update by Jim Hughes