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Fox Chase Cancer Center Offers New Study For Lung Cancer Treatment
PHILADELPHIA (February 20, 2002) -- Fox Chase Cancer Center is offering a new clinical trial for the treatment of small cell lung cancer which compares a standard therapy with a new treatment combination that may have additional benefits. Corey J. Langer, M.D., director of thoracic medical oncology at Fox Chase is the principal investigator of the study.
The Phase III study will investigate the effect of Irinotecan in combination with cisplatin, compared with the current standard treatment of etoposide and cisplatin for patients with extensive small-cell lung cancer. The study will determine whether this combination can improve disease control and survival.
To enroll in the study at Fox Chase Cancer Center, participants must be 18 years of age or older, diagnosed with extensive-disease, small-cell lung cancer, and have had no prior chemotherapy, unless it was given for a different type of cancer. Other inclusion criteria should be discussed with a physician at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is the second most common type of cancer overall, accounting for 14 percent of all cancer diagnoses and 28 percent of all cancer deaths. It is estimated that 169,500 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed and that 157,400 people will die from the disease in the United States this year. Approximately 15 to 25 percent of all lung cancer is classified as small-cell.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, one of the nation's first comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute in 1974, conducts basic and clinical research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at www.fccc.edu.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase also was among the first institutions to receive the National Cancer Institute’s prestigious comprehensive cancer center designation in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has achieved Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research and oversees programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE (1-888-369-2427).
