
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This trial is looking at a new drug called LY2940680 with carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer that has spread beyond the lungs.
Doctors usually use chemotherapy to treat small cell lung cancer that has spread beyond the lungs (extensive disease). One combination of drugs they use is carboplatin and etoposide. This combination works but researchers are always looking for ways to improve treatment.
LY2940680 is a type of biological therapy called a cancer growth blocker. It stops signals that cancer cells use to divide and grow.
In this trial some people will have LY2940680 with carboplatin and etoposide. And some will have a dummy drug () with carboplatin and etoposide.
The aims of this trial are to find out
You may be able to enter this trial if you
You cannot enter this trial if
This is a phase 1/2 trial. It will recruit 132 people. The trial is in 2 parts.
In part 1, the first few people will have a low dose of LY2940680 with carboplatin and etoposide. If they don’t have any serious side effects, the next few people will have a higher dose. And so on, until they find the best dose of LY2940680 to give with carboplatin and etoposide. This is called a dose escalation study.
Part 2 is a randomised trial. The people taking part are put into treatment groups by a computer. Neither you nor your doctor will be able to decide which group you are in. And neither of you will know which group you are in. This is called a double blind trial.
The treatment groups are
LY2940680 and the dummy drug are capsules. You take them 4 times every day for 3 weeks and then have a week of not taking them. Each 4 week period is called a cycle of treatment.
You have etoposide and carboplatin as an injection into a vein. You have etoposide on the first 3 days of each 4 week cycle of treatment. You have carboplatin on the first day of each cycle. You have 6 cycles of treatment.
After 6 cycles your doctor may talk to you about having radiotherapy to your head to kill off any cancer cells that may have spread to your brain. This is called prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). And then they may talk to you about continuing with LY2940680 or the dummy drug. You continue having treatment as long as it is helping you and the side effects aren’t too bad.
The researchers will ask for a sample of your cancer that was removed when you had surgery or a . They will also ask for blood samples and some tiny samples of your skin. They will use these to find out how well the treatment works. You must agree to give these samples if you take part in the trial.
If you take part in the 2nd part of the trial, the trial team will ask you to fill out a questionnaire before you start treatment, every 4 weeks during treatment and after you finish treatment. The questionnaire will ask about side effects and how you’ve been feeling. This is called a quality of life study.
You see the doctor to have some tests before taking part in this trial. These tests include
During treatment you see the doctor every 4 weeks for the same tests, apart from the heart trace. You have a CT scan or MRI scan every 6 to 8 weeks.
You see the doctor for the same tests (apart from the heart trace) a month after finishing treatment and then every 3 months.
LY2940680 is a new drug and there may be side effects we don’t know about yet. The most common side effects reported include
We have information on the side effects of carboplatin and etoposide.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Martin Forster
Eli Lilly and Company Limited
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.