On the 15th of August 2019, Cancer Discovery reported that Olaparib (tradename Lynparza) in combination with Temozolomide (tradename Temol) showed ‘promising clinical activity’ in patients with relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC).
Anna F. Farago, taken from the Dana-Farber/ Harver Cancer Website
Anna F. Farago,Assistant in Medicine within the division of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), said this combination represented a ‘new potential therapeutic strategy’ for patients with SCLC, which historically has had poor outcomes. Farago and her team trialled 50 patients previously treated for their illness, who had a median age of 63; ranged from 39-85, and were 60% women, who had had between 1 and 7 previous treatments.
After evaluating four dose levels, the team came up with a recommended dose of 200mg of Olaparib twice daily and 75mg/m2 once daily, at the phase 2 dose. The overall response rate at this recommended dose was 41%.
Work remains on SCLC treatment, but these findings represent an important step towards the best possible outcomes for patients.
