CTCA invited to international forum to present findings from multiple lung cancer studies

(PHOENIX, Arizona – Dec. 6, 2016) – Lung cancer-based studies conducted at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) will be presented at the 17th International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria, Dec. 4-7. These studies represent research conducted by members of the research team at Western Regional Medical Center led by Dr. Glen Weiss as they search for treatment options for varying types of lung cancer.

"Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death, and it is critical we commit research to ways in which we can identify new avenues for drug targets that may help more of these patients," said Dr. Weiss, Director of Clinical Research and Phase I and Phase II clinical trials at CTCA® at Western Regional Medical Center (Western).

• High Oncofetal Chondroitin Sulfate Expression is an Independent Prognostic Factor of Poor Survival in Early-Stage NSCLC, which will detail findings involving a protein linked to malaria that could help identify early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who have poor chances of survival;
• Prospective Study of Genome-Wide Strexome and Transcriptome Profiling in Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer Progressing after 1st Line Therapy, which will detail why advanced genomic sequencing should be applied as soon as possible in the early stages of lung cancer, and why accelerating the turn-around time for such sequencing is needed to quickly identify new therapeutics. This study was conducted in conjunction with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen);
• Final Analysis of Lung Microbiome from Patients Undergoing Bronchoscopy, in which Dr. Weiss and colleagues examined the microbiome of the lungs. With subsequent future validation, this study could be used as the basis for modifying bacterial colonization in a lung cancer prevention strategy or possibly used in early application of diagnostics and therapeutics. This study was conducted in association with Northern Arizona University (NAU);
• NGS May Discriminate Extreme Long-Term versus Short-Term Survival in Patients with Stage IV Small-Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), which examined the molecular differences between patients with extremely long-term and short-term survival rates of advanced SCLC, who were evaluated from 2000 to 2013 at the National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, one of Europe's leading centers for the study of lung disease. Using Next Generation Sequencing, researchers found that consolidation therapy, which may include radiation and chemotherapy drugs, and certain cellular pathways, could improve the classification of SCLC and identify new clinically-relevant drug targets; and
• Neutrophil-Lymphocyte and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratios Predict Prognosis in Early-Stage Resected Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients, in which researchers sought to discover a biomarker that could help select which SCLC patients might be best candidates for surgery. This retrospective study of patients who underwent surgery between 2000 and 2013 at the Koranyi Institute found that low platelet-lymphocyte ratio (LPLR) was predictive of patients with longer overall survival, and that this could play a role in deciding which patients may be the best candidates for lobectomies, or the surgical removal of a section of the lung.

"It's an honor to be included among this year's participants at the World Conference on Lung Cancer," Weiss added. "It is our hope that this shared knowledge and research will benefit many lung cancer patients worldwide."

More than 224,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with some type of lung cancer, and more than 158,000 will succumb to this disease in 2016, making it by far the leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S.

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For more details on these studies, visit: http://library.iaslc.org/virtual-library-search?product_id=6&author=G.J.+Weiss&category.

For more information about CTCA trials currently available, visit http://www.cancercenter.com/clinical-trials/, email [email protected] or call 888-841-9129.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America Global, Inc. (CTCA), headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., is a national network of five hospitals that serves adult patients who are fighting cancer. CTCA® offers an integrative approach to care that combines advancements in genomic testing and precision cancer treatment, surgery, radiation, immunotherapy and chemotherapy, with evidence-informed supportive therapies designed to help patients physically and emotionally by enhancing their quality of life while managing side effects both during and after treatment. CTCA serves patients from around the world at its hospitals in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa. Consistently rated among U.S. hospitals that deliver the highest quality of care and patient experience, CTCA provides patients and their families with comprehensive information about their treatment options and encourages their active participation in treatment decisions. For more information, visit cancercenter.com, Facebook.com/cancercenter and Twitter.com/cancercenter.

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Nicole McTheny
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Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag