A three-drug combination, including the novel molecularly targeted agent bortezomib, the first drug in its class, proved well-tolerated and showed promising efficacy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, according to phase I trial results reported recently at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists.

The triple-therapy regimen will now be tested nationally in a phase II trial as first-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Angela Davies, assistant professor of hematology and oncology at UC Davis Cancer Center and principal investigator of the phase I trial, will also lead the phase II trial.

The regimen consists of bortezomib, gemcitabine and carboplatin. Gemcitabine and carboplatin represent an accepted first-line treatment combination for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor that blocks the signals cancer cells rely on to degrade cellular proteins. The result is a buildup of proteins that hastens cell death