
“I think it’s really important that people keep signing up to these type of trials to push research forward.”
This trial looked at Lucanix for people who had recently had chemotherapy for non small cell lung cancer that was stage 3 or 4 (advanced cancer).
Advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are cancers that might have spread to:
Advanced NSCLC is usually treated with:
After treatment the cancer might get smaller, which doctors call a response. Or it may stay the same size, which doctors call .
Researchers are looking at ways to improve treatment and stop the cancer from starting to grow again. In this trial they looked at a cancer vaccine called Lucanix (belagenpumatucel-L). They thought it might help the immune system to recognise and flight lung cancer cells.
The main aims of the trial were to:
The trial team concluded that overall Lucanix did not help people with NSCLC to live longer. But they did find that if people started Lucanix within 3 months of finishing chemotherapy they lived longer than people who started Lucanix more than 3 months after finishing chemotherapy.
532 people with NSCLC took part in this international phase 3 trial. Everyone had chemotherapy with a before joining the trial.
This was a randomised trial. Everyone was put into 1 of the following treatment groups by computer:
Neither they nor their doctor could choose which group they were in. And neither they nor their doctor knew which treatment they were having. This was a double blind trial.
The trial team looked at how well Lucanix worked. To do this they looked at the amount of time people lived (overall survival). They found that people who had:
The team also looked at the average length of time it took before people’s cancer got worse (progression free survival). They found that this was about 4 months for both groups.
During the study researchers noticed that people who started Lucanix within 3 months of finishing chemotherapy lived longer than people who started Lucanix after 3 months. They found that people who had:
Doctors also looked at the possible side effects of treatment. These were:
The trial team concluded that Lucanix does not help people with advanced NSCLC to live longer. But there might be a benefit for people who start Lucanix within 3 months of finishing chemotherapy, and for people who have radiotherapy before Lucanix.
The team also concluded that there weren’t many side effects, so they think this is a safe treatment. They suggest that more clinical trials should be done using Lucanix for people who have finished chemotherapy less than 3 months ago. They also suggest that more studies should be done to look at radiotherapy before treatment with drugs that stimulate the body’s immune system to fight cancer (immunotherapy).
We have based this summary on information from the research team. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () 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.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Ernie Marshall
Dr Rohit Lal
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NovaRx
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
“I think it’s really important that people keep signing up to these type of trials to push research forward.”