UCLH recruits first European participant to advanced-phase lung cancer trial

A clinical trial at UCLH is investigating whether adding a targeted cancer drug called adagrasib to standard first-line immunotherapy and chemotherapy can delay disease progression in people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) – the most common type of lung cancer.

The KRYSTAL-4 trial is enrolling people with previously untreated, advanced non-squamous NSCLC, whose tumours carry a particular genetic mutation known as KRAS G12C. This mutation is found in around 10-15% of advanced non-squamous NSCLC. The study involves participants whose cancer has spread or cannot be removed by surgery.

The trial is led at UCLH by Professor Siow Ming Lee, and UCLH has recruited the first European participant to this global study, which aims to enrol more than 600 participants worldwide. This achievement reflects the rapid study set-up and the commitment of multidisciplinary teams across UCLH and partner organisations.

The drug being trialled, adagrasib, is already approved as a standalone therapy (monotherapy) for some people with KRAS G12C–mutated NSCLC whose disease has progressed after previous treatment. The KRYSTAL-4 trial is now evaluating whether adding adagrasib to standard first-line treatment with immunotherapy (a drug called pembrolizumab) plus chemotherapy can help delay disease progression.

As well as assessing whether the treatment can delay progression, the study will also examine whether the combination is safe and well-tolerated.

The trial is sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb. It is managed by the UCL Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit and supported by the NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre.