ASCO 2016

Advaned RET-rearranged NSCLC

Dr Takashi Seto – National Kyushu Cancer Center, Kyushu, Japan
Dr Kiyotaka Yoh – National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan

TS: We found a rare mutation of RET by multiplex and FISH and then tried a phase II trial of vandetanib.

What kind of patients were you workig with?

TS: Lung cancer, adenocarcinoma. Enrolled patients were 19 patients however eligible cancer patients were 17.

Were there any markers for the patients?

TS: Screened by multiplex PCR and confirmed by FISH the rearrangement.

Were they EGFR positive or negative tumours?

KY: Our study is in EGFR negative patients in screening.

TS: We used LC-SCRUM, nationwide gene analysis system of LC-SCRUM, so found by LC-SCRUM and enrolled on this study.

Can you tell us more about the patient sub-type?

TS: CCDC6 and T5B [?] RET; we found ten T5B RET and six CCDC6 so the response rate was quite different between the two subtypes. So the response rate of CCDC6 is 83% compared to T5B RET was 20%.

Were there any toxicities associated with the treatment?

TS: Usually the common toxicity with vandetanib, not especially for this study.

Will you use these results in future trials?

KY: RET patients are a very rare population so a phase III trial for RET positive patients is difficult. Our study is a small number of patients, however, our result is consistent with preclinical studies and both with RET positive adenocarcinoma essentially. So our study defines RET rearrangement is a new molecular subgroup of non-small cell lung cancer suitable for targeted therapy.

TS: And LC-SCRUM, now LC-SCRUM using next generation sequencer to detect rare mutations so the next trial in Japan based on LC-SCRUM and now we’ve found the RET so move on to an alectinib trial.