NSCLC
Non-small cell lung cancer or NSCLC is the most common kind of lung cancer diagnosis. It affects over 2 million people and of those, there’s a small group who currently have no treatment option.
Around 3% of individuals diagnosed with NSCLC have whats called a MET Exon-14 skipping mutation. This particular mutation has, as of yet, no treatment.
But, on October 19 of 2018, Novartis presented phase 2 clinical trial results which bring a new hope to this community.
The trial
Novartis was studying the effect of an oral inhibitor called Capmatinib. The trial had 94 participants, all who were diagnosed with MET exon-14 skipping mutated NSCLC. Some of these individuals had previously undergone a different type of treatment, while some were just recently diagnosed and had yet to receive any type of treatment. This group was called treatment-naive. All participants were evaluated blindly.
The study found a positive response for Capmatinib in 72% of those who had never received another type of treatment. For those who had been previously treated, the response rate was 39.1%.
What does it all mean?
This study shows two very important things.
- There will hopefully be a new treatment for those with MET exon-14 skipping mutated NSCLC soon! This study showed no greater safety risk than any other lung cancer treatment for Capmatinib, and it’s use could be life-changing for this population of patients.
- Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are incredibly important. We’ve heard again and again for cancer and other rare diseases that early diagnosis can significantly improve treatment options and overall outcomes for patients. This clinical trial reiterates this fact, and hopefully will encourage more people to be screened regularly.
You can read the full updates on this clinical trial here and stay tuned to hear more about Capmatinib! In the meantime, make sure your friends and family are taking the preventive measures they should be like early diagnostic screening.
