The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is excited to announce a partnership with leading lung cancer patient advocacy group, the EGFR Resisters. This multi-year partnership will kick off on June 6, National Cancer Survivors Day, in a joint effort in 2021 to fund research related to EGFR positive lung cancer.
People with EGFR positive lung cancer represent a significant number of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. Approximately 10-15% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the United States and 35% in Asia have an EGFR positive mutation. In the U.S., more than 20,000 people are diagnosed with EGFR positive lung cancer each year. Although there has been an increase in progression-free survival in patients due to targeted therapy with EGFR TKIs (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, commonly known as TKIs), the cancer eventually develops acquired resistance which means more research is desperately needed.
Hear LCRF Scientific Advisory Board chair Dr. Katerina Politi explain why this research is so important:
LCRF has a history of funding important work related to EGFR, including that of Dr. Matthew Meyerson from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, whose early work, funded through LCRF, led his group to discover the EGFR mutations in lung cancer, which set the stage for the field of genome-targeted therapy.
The goal of the EGFR Resisters is to improve outcomes for people with EGFR positive lung cancer by accelerating research. Their ultimate objective is changing EGFR positive lung cancer into a manageable chronic disease.
“We are thrilled to work with the EGFR Resisters,” said Dennis Chillemi, LCRF Executive Director. “Partnering with this extraordinary group no doubt allows us to better understand this particular mutation and acquired resistance to first-line therapy for these patients. We are confident that this partnership will accelerate research discovery and save lives.”