Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, but treatment has changed dramatically in the past decade. Targeted therapies now work for many tumors driven by specific genetic mutations, and immunotherapy has extended survival for others. Five-year survival has improved, though outcomes still vary widely by stage and tumor type.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new KRAS inhibitors for previously hard-to-treat mutations, antibody-drug conjugates that deliver chemotherapy directly to cancer cells, and combinations of immunotherapy with targeted drugs. Researchers are also studying blood tests that detect cancer early, ways to prevent resistance to current drugs, and treatments for brain metastases that develop in many lung cancer patients.
KRAS G12C inhibitors
Sotorasib and adagrasib target a KRAS mutation found in about 13% of lung adenocarcinomas. Newer drugs are now being tested against other KRAS variants that affect even more patients.
Antibody-drug conjugates
These treatments attach chemotherapy to antibodies that find cancer cells, delivering the drug more precisely. Several are in trials for lung cancer with specific protein markers on tumor surfaces.
Early detection
Blood tests that find circulating tumor DNA may catch lung cancer earlier than CT scans. Trials are testing whether these tests, combined with low-dose CT screening, can find more cancers when they're still curable.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on cancer type (non-small cell vs. small cell), stage, prior treatments, specific mutations or biomarkers, and smoking history.
What types of trials are currently open
- Targeted therapy trials — Testing drugs for specific mutations like EGFR, ALK, ROS1, KRAS, and others. These trials usually require a tumor biopsy showing the mutation.
- Immunotherapy trials — Testing checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab and nivolumab, often in combination with chemotherapy or other immune drugs.
- Combination trials — Testing whether combining targeted therapy with immunotherapy works better than either alone, especially for tumors with both a mutation and high PD-L1 expression.
- Early-stage trials — Testing whether giving immunotherapy or targeted therapy before or after surgery improves cure rates for early lung cancer.
- Prevention trials — Studies in high-risk people, often long-time smokers, testing drugs or screening methods that might prevent lung cancer or find it earlier.
Recently added Lung Cancer trials
Phase 1b/2 to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of TXN10128 in Combination With TOPO-I Inhibitor-based Therapies (Irinotecan or TROP2 ADC) in Advanced or Metastatic EGFR Mutated NSCLC
This is a multicenter, open-label, multi-cohort, Phase 1b/2 clinical study. This study evaluates TXN10128 in combination with either irinotecan (a topoisomerase I inhibitor) or a TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (TROP2 ADC) in participants with advanced or metastatic NSCLC with confirmed EGFR mutations. The study consists of three cohorts. It enrolls participants who have progressed after prior treatment with a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and platinum-based doublet chemotherapy. Part B enrolls participants who are currently receiving TROP2 ADC therapy or whose disease has progressed following such therapy (with no restriction on the number of prior lines). In Part C, participants who are naïve to TROP2 ADC therapy and have received no more than three prior lines of systemic anticancer therapy will be enrolled. A safety run-in will first be conducted to confirm the safety of the combination with a TROP2 ADC. Based on the results, the Safety Review Committee (SRC) will select the recommended dose for expansion phase, which will follow Simon's two-stage design.
Patient-Specific MRD Liquid Biopsy in Resected NSCLC: Plasma and Bronchial Washing ctDNA
This is a multicenter, prospective, observational pilot cohort study in patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, pathologic stage IA3-IIIA). Whole exome sequencing (WES) of each patient's resected tumor tissue and matched normal blood is used to build a patient-specific (tumor-informed) minimal residual disease (MRD) panel, after excluding germline and clonal hematopoiesis variants. MRD is then assessed in paired plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and bronchial washing fluid (BWF) ctDNA collected at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after surgery. The study evaluates whether MRD positivity in plasma and/or BWF is associated with subsequent clinical or radiologic recurrence, compares MRD detection rates and quantitative values between plasma and BWF, and explores the lead time of MRD detection relative to standard surveillance with chest CT and serum CEA. MRD results are not used to confirm recurrence or to change treatment; all clinical decisions follow standard of care. Forty participants will be enrolled at three Severance hospitals in Korea.
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