Lara E. Davis, MD (Damon Runyon-Sohn Fellow ‘12-‘15) of Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and colleagues, described the first cancer patient treated in a Phase 1 clinical trial of LOXO-101, a novel drug that inhibits a protein called TRK. This patient had advanced soft tissue sarcoma which had metastasized to the lungs. Genetic analysis of the tumor indicated an alteration in the gene encoding TRK (tropomyosin receptor kinase). Following multiple unsuccessful courses of other treatments, the patient was treated with LOXO-101. With 4 months of treatment, CT scans demonstrated almost complete tumor disappearance of the largest tumors. The researchers will continue these encouraging studies of LOXO-101 for treatment of TRK-positive advanced cancers. This report was published in the journal Cancer Discovery.
