Over $900,000 in Research Grants Focused on Resistance to EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) and Immunotherapies
NEW YORK, NY (February 23, 2021) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) today announced a collaboration with AstraZeneca to fund over $900,000 in research grants focused on understanding resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including therapeutic approaches to overcome these mechanisms, as well as biomarkers of immune-mediated adverse events.
Lung cancer is currently the number one cause of cancer death both in the U.S. and globally among both men and women. An estimated 625 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every day. As research funding grows, new treatments become available and survival rates improve. Promising new treatment options exist including targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may benefit from targeted therapies which interfere with specific molecules involved in the growth and progression of cancer. For example, patients with EGFR mutation positive NSCLC can frequently benefit from treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Despite clinical improvement with these therapies, acquired resistance invariably develops and insights into the mechanisms of resistance are needed as well as approaches to overcome and/or prevent resistance.
ICIs, which function by enhancing the body’s immune response against cancer, have also led to profound improvements in the treatment of both locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC. Sustained clinical benefit of ICIs is not uniformly observed, however, and biological insights and biomarkers are needed to better guide patient selection to maximize their therapeutic benefit.
This collaboration seeks to support research studies that focus on understanding mechanisms of primary and acquired resistance to 3rd generation EGFR TKIs, and to identify more effective approaches to predict response and recurrence in patients treated with ICIs in locally advanced NSCLC. This collaboration will also promote advancing scientific knowledge in early stage and resectable NSCLC, including identification of predictive biomarkers of disease recurrence.
“LCRF is honored to continue its 15-year legacy of identifying and supporting outstanding lung cancer research projects over the years. We are excited to partner with AstraZeneca, who continues to be a generous supporter of our mission,” said Katerina Politi, PhD, Chair, LCRF Scientific Advisory Board. “The specific focus of this grant program is to study treatment resistance and how that resistance may be overcome or prevented, addressing this very important issue that affects many lung cancer patients undergoing treatment.”
To learn more about LCRF and its grants program, visit www.LCRF.org.
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About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 383 research grants, totaling nearly $36 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.
Dr. Dan Raz spoke with our #TogetherSeparately group on Feb. 18. Dr. Raz, assistant professor and co-director of the Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program at City of Hope, studies new ways of overcoming chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer, as well as barriers to screening. He shared about his experience working in his clinic during COVID times, how the vaccine rollout was going in his neck of the woods, and offered advice for lung cancer patients to keep safe while waiting for their vaccine.
Cancer puts individuals at high risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, 130 organizations and cancer centers sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden, key members of his administration, and leading public health officials at state health departments to underscore the importance of prioritizing patients with active cancer and survivors of cancer when administering the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines. The broad spectrum of organizations that signed this letter represent laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; millions of patients with cancer and survivors of cancer; and patient advocates from across the United States.
Recent research has shown that patients with cancer are at increased risk of severe illness and death if infected with the virus. Moreover, patients with cancer often receive frequent in-person care, which increases their risk of exposure to the virus. Certain survivors of cancer also have a higher probability of infection and COVID-related death compared to the general population.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes that cancer places individuals at higher risk for severe COVID-19, many states are broadening and simplifying the groups eligible for COVID-19 vaccination to speed up distribution of the vaccines. The letter notes that while mass, rapid vaccination is a worthy goal, the currently limited supply of vaccines means that many who are at high risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19, including patients with cancer and survivors of cancer, may continue to wait in line for many months if high-risk groups are not provided with priority access. The letter, initiated by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), urges the Biden administration and public health officials at the state level to continue to prioritize patients with cancer and survivors of cancer in statewide vaccination plans. Read the full letter on the AACR website or as a PDF.
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For media inquiries, please contact Julia Gunther at julia.gunther@aacr.org or (770) 403-7690.
During the IASLC 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer held last month, several researchers presented findings that document how the pandemic has influenced lung cancer healthcare delivery over the past year.
One study by Roxana Reyes, MD, in Barcelona suggested the pandemic has led to fewer but more serious diagnosed cases of lung cancer, leading to poorer patient outcomes.
Other studies looked at patient needs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of virtual prehabilitation for patients scheduled for lung cancer surgery, and CT scans as a diagostic tool for asymptomatic infection.
Details can be found here.
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) recognized Joan H. Schiller, MD, FASCO, with its Paul A. Bunn, Jr. Scientific Award during the recent World Conference on Lung Cancer. Dr. Schiller is a member of the LCRF Board and chair of its Scientific Steering Committee.
Dr. Schiller’s early work was influential in defining treatment for both SCLC and NSCLC before the era of targeted therapy and immunotherapy. She helped break the taboo of talking about lung cancer and expanded the public’s understanding of lung cancer as a disease caused by various factors. Her work has helped break stigmas and give voice to lung cancer as a women’s disease.
Read more about the award and Dr. Schiller’s work here.
February 2, 2021 | As told by Steve Shelton
“We’re going to cure you.” That was the confident declaration of one of the oncology team members treating me for stage 3B NSCLC. At the time, that was as much as I knew about my diagnosis and treatment plan. It was all I needed to know. Later, I would find out that I was positive for the ALK mutation. That set in motion 13 weeks of an oral chemotherapy treatment followed by a combination of 37 rounds of radiation and six infusion chemotherapy treatments. In eight months, I went from a 25% chance of survival to cured of cancer. There was no evidence of cancer in my body. My doctor’s bold prediction had come true.
This story is only possible because of the advances being realized through research and the funding of that research. Research improved the accuracy of my lung cancer diagnosis, which gave me more treatment options and access to follow up care.
This is not where my cure story ends. Fast forward 27 months through many follow up scans and appointments, all bringing varying levels of good news. Almost to the day of my three year diagnosis anniversary, a mass was discovered in my right kidney. It was later determined that my lung cancer has metastasized.
With equal confidence as the first time we met, my oncologist said there were many effective treatment options that would allow me to live a long and full life. Since that time, I’ve taken an oral chemotherapy twice a day. My cancer has shrunk and even disappeared. I am very active, work full time, take numerous adventures with my wife and dogs, steal as much time as possible with my five young adult children, and plan to see my new grandson enjoy a long and successful life.
I still have lung cancer, but because of the advances made through the funding of research, I will be able to live a long and full life. Who knows what advances will be made in the coming months and years as I’m living this wonderful life? In time, there may be other treatment options for me that will continue my curing process. I’m confident there will be.
My story is not unique, but it’s not common enough. PLEASE support Lung Cancer research so others will have the opportunity to live long and full lives.
Steve is captain of #TeamShelton, which has raised thousands of dollars for research through the Free to Breathe Walk.
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation joined with GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, LUNGevity Foundation, the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, and LungCAN to issue a joint statement educating the public, particularly vulnerable populations, about the facts surrounding the coronavirus epidemic.
Below is the final update to the statement. You can find previous statements here.
LCRF also has developed a free download addressing common questions about COVID-19 and lung cancer.
Find out more. (Updated July 10, 2020)
January 25, 2021 | Download the statement as a PDF
As of January 22, we stand at 24.8 million COVID-19 cases in the US, with 412,936 deaths. The CDC reports that 15.1 million Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine, with 2.4 million people being fully vaccinated.
President Biden and his administration have made addressing the COVID-19 pandemic a top priority and have released their National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness. Other steps in the first few days of his presidency include asking Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration, signing an executive order for a mask mandate on federal property and reenlisting the US in the World Health Organization and joining global efforts to combat the pandemic.
In this week’s update, we will cover several topics including: the advisory panel making decisions on which groups should be prioritized for vaccination next, new NCCN guidelines regarding vaccination of patients with solid tumors and new vaccines on the horizon.
LungCAN and lung cancer advocates contacted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to remind the committee that patients with cancer need to be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19. Most states do not include patients with cancer in Tier 1b. You can read the letter to the ACIP from LungCAN here.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® recently released guidelines for vaccination of patients with solid tumors.
Currently, two vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are approved for use in the US. Both these vaccines are mRNA-based. But other vaccines are on the horizon and are already being rolled out in different countries around the world. This tracker from The New York Times offers a comprehensive overview of all vaccines currently in development. This article also summarizes the top three vaccines expected to move forward in the US in the near future. Both the AstraZeneca (AZ) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines are built on an adenovirus backbone – this is using a typically harmless virus as a “Trojan horse” to deliver the genetic sequence for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to stimulate an immune response. The AZ vaccine will still require two doses while J&J’s will be a single dose vaccine. Novavax’s platform uses a virus like particle (VLP) coated in genetically engineered coronavirus proteins to stimulate an immune response.
This graphic summarizes some key features of current vaccines that are being used globally:
We started writing these updates almost a year ago, when data first suggested that lung cancer patients who were infected with COVID-19 had worse outcomes. At that time, little scientific information was readily available about the virus, public health measures, and potential treatments. We decided to fill that gap.
Now, many scientists and public health officials are providing accurate and understandable COVID-19 information to the lung cancer community. It’s time for us to pivot (a popular word in the past year) to other lung cancer priorities.
This will be our last regular update. Going forward, we will provide future updates as warranted or when new advances/challenges dictate. We hope we’ve provided value. Thanks for reading!
For further information: GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, Amy Moore, PhD | LUNGevity Foundation, Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH | Lung Cancer Foundation of America, Kim Norris | Lung Cancer Research Foundation, Cristina Chin, LMSW, MPH | LungCAN, Kimberly Lester
LCRF was honored to be the recipient of the Veronica Beard Gives Back (#VBGIVESBACK) program during the 4th quarter of 2020. This program was launched in 2015 to support women who are making a difference in the world.
From October through December 2020, Veronica Beard donated a portion of sales – both online and in-store – to LCRF. In addition, 10% of all in-store sales were donated to LCRF on #VBGIVESBACK Day, October 28.
This initiative not only raised enough to fund a year of research, it also informed a new audience about the prevalence of lung cancer and its impact on women and families. Thank you to Veronica Beard for putting the spotlight on lung cancer and supporting new research!
LCRF board member Reina Honts was Veronica Beard’s woman of the quarter. Read her story and learn why she advocates for lung cancer screening.
Learn about other women and families who have been affected by lung cancer.
VB in Action donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s FOOD program and prepared gift baskets for lung cancer patients. (Photo: Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard)
The overall cancer mortality rate in the United States continues to decline again as compared to last year’s reported statistics. Using the recently published American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics for 2021 report, the overall U.S. cancer mortality rate has now decreased 31% between 1991 and 2018. This means an estimated 3.2 million lives were saved from cancer deaths in that time period. This is inclusive of the historic 2.4% decline in cancer mortality rates that we saw between 2017 and 2018.
It is reported that this continual decline can be attributed to earlier detection and improved treatment options for certain cancers including lung cancer. However, the report also shows persistent health disparities across race/ethnicity, sex, and geography. For example, the 5-year overall survival rate is higher among White patients (68%) versus Black patients (63%) across all cancer types except one. Geographic location also seems to be a barrier for cancer patients who have lung cancer versus other types of cancer.
