'Basket study': Clinical trial design explores responses to drugs based on specific mutations in patients' tumors

'Basket study'

..... The findings illustrate the preliminary clinical efficacy of vemurafenib in multiple nonmelanoma BRAFV600-mutated cancers. Of the 122 trial participants, clinical activity was observed in various tumor types. Preliminary vemurafenib activity was observed in non-small cell lung cancer as well as Erdheim-Chester disease and Langherhans cell histiocytosis. Response rate and median progression-free survival in non-small cell lung cancer was 42 percent and 7.3 months, respectively. In Erdheim-Chester disease and Langherhans cell histiocytosis, response rate was 43 percent; despite median treatment duration of 5.9 months, no patients progressed during therapy. Anecdotal responses were seen in anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, anaplastic thyroid cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, salivary duct cancer, ovarian cancer, clear cell sarcoma, and colorectal cancer (cetuximab combination only).....