» Articles » PMID: 39362260

Challenges and Opportunities for Early Phase Clinical Trials of Novel Drug-radiotherapy Combinations: Recommendations from NRG Oncology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Sarah Cannon...

Abstract

NRG Oncology's Developmental Therapeutics and Radiation Therapy Subcommittee assembled an interdisciplinary group of investigators to address barriers to successful early phase clinical trials of novel combination therapies involving radiation. This Policy Review elucidates some of the many challenges associated with study design for early phase trials combining radiotherapy with novel systemic agents, which are distinct from drug-drug combination development and are often overlooked. We also advocate for potential solutions that could mitigate or eliminate some of these barriers, providing examples of specific clinical trial designs that could help facilitate efficient and effective evaluation of novel drug-radiotherapy combinations.

References
1.
. Refining adjuvant treatment in endometrial cancer based on molecular features: the RAINBO clinical trial program. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2023; 33(1):109-117. DOI: 10.1136/ijgc-2022-004039. View

2.
Brock K, Homer V, Soul G, Potter C, Chiuzan C, Lee S . Is more better? An analysis of toxicity and response outcomes from dose-finding clinical trials in cancer. BMC Cancer. 2021; 21(1):777. PMC: 8256624. DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08440-0. View

3.
Atun R, Jaffray D, Barton M, Bray F, Baumann M, Vikram B . Expanding global access to radiotherapy. Lancet Oncol. 2015; 16(10):1153-86. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00222-3. View

4.
Babb J, Rogatko A, Zacks S . Cancer phase I clinical trials: efficient dose escalation with overdose control. Stat Med. 1998; 17(10):1103-20. DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0258(19980530)17:10<1103::aid-sim793>3.0.co;2-9. View

5.
Lacas B, Carmel A, Landais C, Wong S, Licitra L, Tobias J . Meta-analysis of chemotherapy in head and neck cancer (MACH-NC): An update on 107 randomized trials and 19,805 patients, on behalf of MACH-NC Group. Radiother Oncol. 2021; 156:281-293. PMC: 8386522. DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.013. View