“I think it’s really important that people keep signing up to these type of trials to push research forward.”
A trial of gataparsen and docetaxel for non small cell lung cancer
Cancer type:
Lung cancer
Non small cell lung cancer
Status:
Results
Phase:
Phase 2
This trial compared gataparsen and docetaxel together with docetaxel alone, for non small cell lung cancer that has spread.
More about this trial
Doctors often use chemotherapy such as docetaxel (Taxotere) to treat non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread outside the lung.
In this trial they wanted to see if a targeted treatment called gataparsen (LY2181308) helped docetaxel work better.
The aims of this trial were to:
- see if the combination of docetaxel and gataparsen works better than docetaxel alone for advanced non small cell lung cancer
- learn more about the side effects
Summary of results
The research team found that the combination of gataparsen and docetaxel did not work better than docetaxel alone for advanced non small cell lung cancer.
This trial was open for people to join between 2010 and 2012. The research team published the results in 2014.
About this trial
Everyone taking part in this trial had advanced lung cancer. They had all had treatment already (first line treatment). But they were due to have more chemotherapy because their cancer had started to grow again.
180 people were put in to 1 of 2 treatment groups at random. There were:
- 120 people in the docetaxel and gataparsen group
- 60 people in the docetaxel group
Results
The research team used CT scans to measure whether there was a change in the size of people’s cancers after 6 weeks of treatment. They found that there wasn’t much change in size, and no difference between the two groups.
They looked at how long it was before the cancer started to grow again, and they found the 2 groups were similar:
- 3.3 months for those who had docetaxel
- 2.8 months for those who had docetaxel and gataparsen
They also looked at how long people lived for. Again, they found that there wasn’t much difference between the 2 groups:
- 8.8 months for those who had docetaxel
- 7.9 months for those who had docetaxel and gataparsen
Side effects
Some people taking part did have side effects. The most common side effects were a drop in white and red blood cells, and extreme tiredness (fatigue).
10 people who had gataparsen and docetaxel, and 3 people who had docetaxel alone, decided to stop treatment because of side effects they were having.
Conclusion
The research team concluded that gataparsen and docetaxel was not better than docetaxel alone for advanced non small cell lung cancer.
But even when a trial shows a treatment isn’t useful for a particular cancer, it adds to our knowledge and understanding of cancer and how to treat it.
Where this information comes from
We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed 
) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team who did the research. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team who did the research. We have not analysed the data ourselves.Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Please note - unless we state otherwise in the summary, you need to talk to your doctor about joining a trial.
Chief Investigator
Dr Denis Talbot
Supported by
Eli Lilly and Company Limited
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Last review date
CRUK internal database number:
6425
Please note - unless we state otherwise in the summary, you need to talk to your doctor about joining a trial.
Charlie took part in a trial to try new treatments
