Photo: Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, Saint John's Cancer Institute
We’re excited to share that we’re supporting the launch of a new phase 2 clinical trial at Saint John's Cancer Institute which is evaluating the combination of two drugs: pemetrexed and pembrolizumab.
This new trial follows encouraging results from the recently published pemetrexed monotherapy study, which we also supported. Ten out of 14 chordoma patients in that trial experienced some tumor shrinkage, two of them achieved a partial RECIST response (with tumors shrinking by more than 30%), and most participants reported improvement in their symptoms.
This promising outcome laid the groundwork to pair pemetrexed with pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor which has demonstrated clinical activity in some chordoma patients, including in a recently published clinical trial in France. This combination has already shown effectiveness in other cancers and is FDA-approved for lung cancer treatment. The aim of the current trial is to test whether these drugs together could have increased efficacy and improve patient outcomes beyond what was observed for each drug alone.
We encourage patients whose tumors have returned after surgery or radiation to talk with their doctors about whether this trial could be an appropriate option. Individuals interested in enrolling can contact Dr. Santosh Kesari, the trial P.I., directly.
Financial assistance available
Patients who must travel to participate in this trial are eligible to receive financial support through our Clinical Trial Assistance Program, which will cover up to $1,000 per month in travel related expenses.
Previously, this program was available only to patients participating in the ongoing cetuximab phase 2 trial we’re supporting at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. However, thanks to several generous recent gifts, we're thrilled to announce that we’ve significantly expanded our Clinical Trial Assistance Program: Now, we’re able to provide financial support for eligible patients to participate in any clinical trial endorsed by our Medical Advisory Board. We firmly believe that people in our community who could benefit from clinical trials shouldn’t be limited by lack of ability to pay for travel, so we are extremely grateful for the philanthropic support which allows us ease the burden of trial participation through this program.
Patients can learn more here.
Drug therapy list, Patient Navigators available to help explore treatment options
Additionally, to help chordoma patients and their doctors explore treatment options for advanced or metastatic chordoma, we've launched an updated, more comprehensive, and more user friendly drug therapy list. This resource includes:
Detailed information about drug therapy options that have been endorsed by our Medical Advisory Board
A list of clinical trials currently studying these drug therapies
An interactive map to locate clinical trials nearest to you
And as always, we encourage chordoma patients and caregivers to reach out to our Patient Navigators for free, personalized assistance in navigating trial participation or any issues associated with chordoma care.
We are grateful to all who have made these strides possible, particularly the dedication of our research partners, the support of our donors, and the courage of trial participants. Stay tuned for updates as new treatment options and resources for trial participants become available.