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SYNTHESIS- Logo
A publication  of the UC Davis Cancer Center
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Current Issue: Fall/Winter 2003
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  FEATURED CLINICAL TRIAL
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INVESTIGATIONAL TWO-DRUG REGIMEN FOR SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Title
Phase I study of weekly bortezomib (Velcade) and weekly topotecan in solid tumor patients with an emphasis on small cell lung cancer.

What are the goals of this study?
Topotecan is a synthetic camptothecin, a compound derived from the bark of the Chinese camptotheca tree. The drug is a topoisomerase inhibitor that works by blocking an enzyme, topoisomerase, which is responsible for maintaining the structural function and integrity of DNA. By inhibiting topoisomerase, topotecan ultimately causes cancer cell death.

Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor that works by blocking the proteasome, an enzyme complex found in cells, and interfering with the chemical messengers that control cancer cell growth and regulate cell survival. This results in a variety of anticancer effects, including cancer cell death.

Previous research has shown that bortezomib can enhance the sensitivity of camptothecins. This Phase I study is designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of combining the two drugs to treat patients with advanced solid tumors. If the results are favorable, a Phase II trial will be developed in specific tumor types, such as small cell lung cancer, to evaluate whether the two drugs combined are more effective than topotecan alone.

Background
About two-thirds of patients with small cell lung cancer have advanced or extensive disease when their cancer is first found. The standard treatment for these patients is a combination of the drugs etoposide, another topoisomerase inhibitor, and cisplatin or carboplatin. Treatment for patients with advanced disease, however, is rarely curative.

Researchers are testing new drugs and drug combinations in patients with extensivestage small cell lung cancer in an effort to improve the median survival time, now about 10 months.

Who can join this trial?
Researchers seek to enroll 34 patients ages 18 and over with advanced solid tumors who have progressive disease after their standard therapy. For a complete list of eligibility criteria, please call Jennifer Jernigan at (916) 734-7094.

Where is this trial taking place?
This study is offered only at UC Davis Cancer Center.

Principal investigator:
Angela Davies, assistant professor of medicine, hematology and oncology,
UC Davis.

For more information about this or other clinical trials available at UC Davis Cancer Center, please visit www.ucdaviscancerclinicaltrials.org.

This trial is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline

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UC DAVIS CANCER CENTER
4501 X Street
Sacramento, CA 95817

cancer.center@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

© 2006 UC Regents. All rights reserved.

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