A trial to see if atovaquone can increase the level of oxygen in non small cell lung cancer (ATOM)
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This trial was for people with non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were having surgery. It was for people going to The Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
It was open for people to join between 2016 and 2018. The team published the results in 2021.
More about this trial
Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. It is often treated with surgery.
Most cancers, including NSCLC, have cells with a low level of 
. This is hypoxia. Earlier research had shown that cancers with a low level of oxygen don’t respond as well to treatments, such as radiotherapy. It had also shown that low oxygen levels in cancer cells can lead to them growing more and possibly spreading to other parts of the body more. This is when comparing them to cancer cells with a normal oxygen level.
Atovaquone is a drug used to treat certain infections such as malaria. Doctors thought it can also increase the level of oxygen in cancer cells. Treatments may work better if the cancer cells have more oxygen in them.
This trial was in 2 parts. In the 1st part everyone had atovaquone before surgery to remove NSCLC. In the 2nd part people only had surgery.
The main aim of this trial was to find out if atovaquone reduced the level of hypoxia in NSCLC.
Summary of results
The trial team found that atovaquone could increase the oxygen in non small cell lung cancer cells.
Trial design
This was a . 30 people took part. 15 people had atovaquone before surgery to remove their cancer. The other 15 people didn’t have atovaquone before their surgery.
Results
The team compared the 2 groups by looking at scans such as PET-CT scan and tissue samples in the laboratory.
They found that for most people who took atovaquone the level of oxygen in the cancer cells was higher than in those who didn’t.
Conclusion
The team say that this is the first evidence that a drug like atovaquone can increase the oxygen in cancer cells. Also using atovaquone for this purpose may improve the outcomes for people with NSCLC. Atovaquone used in combination with treatment such as radiotherapy might help people with cancer including those with NSCLC.
The team are now doing another trial called ARCADIAN. This is looking at using atovaquone with chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC.
More detailed information
There is more information about this research in the reference below.
Please note, this article may not be in plain English. It has been written for health care professionals and researchers.
Journal articles
Mitochondrial Inhibitor Atovaquone Increases Tumor Oxygenation and Inhibits Hypoxic Gene Expression in Patients with Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Skwarski M and others
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH, 2021 Volume 27, Issue 9, 2459-2469
Where this information comes from
We have based this summary on the information in the article above. This has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. We have not analysed the data ourselves. As far as we are aware, the link we list above is active and the article is free and available to view.
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.
Chief Investigator
Professor Geoff Higgins
Supported by
Howat Foundation
CRUK/EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre Oxford (CICO)
Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology (OIRO)
NIHR Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
Oncology Clinical Trials Office (OCTO)
Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU)
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University of Oxford
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
