Immuno-PET
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study to determine the predictive role of measuring PD-L1 expression in patients receiving pembrolizumab for non-small cell lung cancer
IRAS ID
318600
Contact name
Anna Minchom
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Institute of Cancer Research
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and over 45,000 people in the UK are diagnosed each year. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of advanced lung cancer is still incurable and only 19% of patients diagnosed with advanced disease have a life expectancy of greater than one year. Immunotherapy is used to treat advance lung cancer. Currently we test a patient’s tissue sample for a cell marker known as PD-L1. This helps to better predict which patients will respond to immunotherapy. This is important to identify whether or not a patient will respond to immunotherapy so they can be given alternative treatments. Also, immunotherapy can carry a risk of unpleasant side effects. In addition, in terms of cost-effectiveness for the NHS treatment provider it is important to target these expensive treatments for those who will respond. However, PD-L1 testing on tumour does not fully, accurately predict those which patients will respond to immunotherapy.
PET scans are scans that uses a radioactive substance (called a tracer) to look for disease in the lungs such as lung cancer. PET scans are routinely used in patients and carry extremely low risks. In the Institute of Cancer Research we have designed a PET tracer that attached to PD-L1 (the marker that we test for in tumours). The hope is that this PET scan will provide better information on who will respond to immunotherapy. The planned study is to give this new PET tracer to patients with a type of cancer known as non-small cell lung cancer who are currently receiving an immunotherapy known as pembrolizumab. Pembrolizumab is the most commonly used immunotherapy for these patients. Patients will be invited to undergo research PET scans in addition to the scans they would normally be having. For each administration of the PET tracer a scan will be performed at 1 hour, 2 days and 4 days post-injection (three scans per administration of the PET tracer). This is anticipated to take 45 minutes per scan. The PET tracer will be administered (with three scans per tracer administration) on three separate occasions: in the two weeks before they start on immunotherapy, after 6 weeks on immunotherapy and then when their cancer stops responding to immunotherapy. The anticipated risks of the PET tracer is extremely small and may include irritation at the site of the PET tracer injection and risk of an allergic reaction. The results of the patient’s biopsy taken at the time of their diagnosis will be compared to the PET scan results. No additional biopsies will be taken as part of this study.
REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0444
Date of REC Opinion
24 May 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion