Cancer patients may have hope for treatment
Patients with locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the head and neck may be cured of the disease if a worldwide clinical trial on a new targeted therapy drug to treat cancer is proven a success.
The clinical trial, to be completed in three to five years, will involve at least 22 institutions from 12 countries including Pakistan.
The National Cancer Centre Singapore NCCS is taking lead role as main cancer centre coordinating the trial which is to begin this March.
NCCS formalised its collaboration with Imogene Kalbiotech Pte Ltd, a Singapore based company that develops and commercialises innovative drugs. It aims to have first results of the clinical trial reported in about five years.
The countries involved in the trial span from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel to South Africa and Cuba. Participation of Australia, Canada, Philippines & UK was also under consideration.
The trial would involve 700 patients and include those with locally advanced squamous cancer of the head and neck and who had had surgery, NCCS said.
Half of patients would be treated with new targeted drug, Nimotuzumab, which would be administered weekly for an eight-week period, and would be given together with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The trial was expected to offer an assessment of the drug’s efficacy, tolerability, influence on disease-free and
progression-free survival for this particular indication.