What the trial was testing
The JVDF enrolled 175 patients with bladder cancer. The study was sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was an early-stage trial — researchers are still confirming safety and getting an early look at how well the treatment works. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
30% of lung cancer patients saw their tumors shrink with the two-drug combination.
The Lancet. Oncology · 2019 · NCT02443324
These findings — that saw their tumors shrink with the combination — were published in the The Lancet. Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 175 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with bladder cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was an early-stage study and the treatment is not yet FDA-approved. The combo showed promise especially for lung cancer patients whose disease had progressed on chemotherapy. Ask your doctor about open trials or related approved options for your specific cancer type.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open bladder cancer trials
Phase II Study of Oral Metformin for Intravesical Treatment of Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer
A multi-center, open-label, phase II clinical study of metformin in up to evaluable 49 patients with low-grade NMIBC with the aim to determine the overall response to administration of oral metformin for 3 months in a index papillary NMIBC tumour.
Bladder Cancer Longitudinal Biorepository for Development of Novel Therapeutics/Biomarkers
The purpose of this study is to create a registry, which is a "bank" of information about patients who have had similar medical conditions and treatments. The registry will be used by researchers to learn more about long term outcome of patients with bladder cancer, how bladder cancer tissues are related to tumor development, recurrence and survival.