CAPecItabine and Tarceva in Advanced Lung Cancer (CAPITAL)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  CAPecItabine and Tarceva in Advanced Lung Cancer (CAPITAL)

• Sponsor organisation

  Royal Marsden Hospital

• Eudract number

  2008-007317-79

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Research summary

  Effective treatments for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are lacking. The drug erlotinib (also called Tarceva) has proven activity in NSCLC. The drug capecitabine (also called Xeloda) has proven activity in the treatment of gastrointestinal and breast cancers. Both of these drugs are in tablet form. One of the main mechanisms of action of capecitabine is by inhibiting a protein called thymidylate synthase (TS). Other TS inhibitors have proven activity in the subtype of NSCLC called adenocarcinomas (in the case of pemetrexed). We are researching combining these two drugs: capeticabine and erlotinib in patients with advanced NSCLC of adenocarcinoma sub-type. These two drugs have been combined in patients with cancer of the pancreas, and the side effect profile is acceptable. We are therefore investigating what is the safest dose of capecitabine and erlotinib when taken together, and what are the side-effects caused by taking these two drugs together, in patients with advanced NSCLC.

• REC name

  London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  09/H0806/52

• Date of REC Opinion

  16 Oct 2009

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion