New Study Will Aim to Advance Precision Medicine for Lung Cancer

In a collaborative study among life sciences companies, oncology providers, and patient advocacy groups, researchers will evaluate up to 12,000 community-based, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to advance precision medicine treatments.

NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for about 84 percent of lung cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society.

The Molecularly Informed Lung Cancer Treatment in a Community Cancer Network: A Pragmatic Consortium (MYLUNG) study will observe NSCLC patients over a five-year period in one of the first broad collaborative research efforts in lung cancer.

Specifically, MYLUNG will aim to enhance understanding of molecular testing barriers to improve care for lung cancer patients, including those with mutations who may benefit from precision medicine treatments, as well as expand the opportunity for patients to participate in clinical trials.

“Many patients are not receiving the molecular testing they need to initiate targeted therapy early in their cancer care journey due to long timeframes, lack of coverage or another factor. This testing is critical to determine the patient’s cancer at a molecular level, so oncologists can create a more targeted and precise treatment plan,” said Robert L. Coleman, MD, FACOG, FACS, chief scientific officer, US Oncology Research.

“In order to fulfill the promise of precision medicine for NSCLC patients, we need a fuller understanding of the barriers, challenges, risks and opportunities around molecularly guided therapies. MYLUNG will draw insights from these datasets that can lead to better therapy for patients in a timelier manner.”

Lung cancer treatment is becoming increasingly personalized to include targeted therapies into earlier stages of disease. MYLUNG will provide the framework to conduct research studies that will help define best practices for providers, as well as provide insights for life sciences companies seeking to quickly deliver potentially life-saving treatments to the patients who need them.

The MYLUNG consortium brings together several organizations focused on transforming the cancer care experience including McKesson, The US Oncology Network, and Ontada, McKesson’s new oncology technology and insights business.

MYLUNG life sciences members currently include Amgen and Eli Lily and Company, while healthcare provider members include Illinois Cancer Specialists, Minnesota Oncology, and New York Oncology Hematology. Additional collaborators are expected to join over the next few months.

“McKesson has always served at the center of care delivery, which has provided a unique perspective on the complexities of cancer care and the growing needs among providers and life sciences companies,” said Kirk Kaminsky, president, McKesson US Pharmaceutical.

“MYLUNG highlights our ability to integrate a continuous virtual cycle with feedback loops between the US Oncology Research and Ontada research teams and The US Oncology Network sites of care to quickly integrate best practices across The Network, while adaptively responding to the constantly changing landscape of oncology discovery for both diagnostics and treatment.”

MYLUNG will consist of three protocols over a five-year period. The first protocol will retrospectively review real-world data from EHRs of about 3,500 patients treated by providers in The US Oncology Network.

In protocol two, researchers will enroll about 1,000 patients from approximately ten practices and monitor the real-world patient journey from presentation to their first line of cancer therapy. This phase will focus on how diagnostic biomarker information is obtained, utilized, and operationalized in decision-making.

Protocol three will serve as a platform upon which prospectively assessed interventional strategies in patient engagement algorithms will be conducted. Researchers will recruit up to 7,500 patients from approximately 20 participating practices over a five-year period.

The real-world research model is uniquely suited to take lung cancer care to the next level by providing a window into the actual patient and provider experience.

“We created Ontada to help providers, patients and life sciences companies navigate a cancer care world that is growing more complex every day as new precision medicines come to market,” said Derek Rago, interim president, Ontada.

“MYLUNG will gather real-world data with Ontada’s technology solutions and develop novel insights through its real-world analytics capabilities so that all stakeholders can make informed decisions that are actionable at the point-of-need.”

Researchers expect that MYLUNG will support progress and innovation in cancer care delivery.

“During the study and after, we hope that the interventions and our understanding of NSCLC improve, and we see increased testing and appropriate use of targeted therapies – all of which we hope will improve cancer care and patient outcomes,” said Makenzi Evangelist, MD, physician lead for the pragmatic study and oncologist with New York Oncology Hematology (NYOH).