AMR PH GL 2007 CL001 Phase 3 Trial in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer After Failure of First-Line Chemotherapy

This study drug (Amrubicin) is believed to work by stopping the tumor cells in your body from growing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of amrubicin compared to topotecan in the treatment of small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer represents approximately 13% of the cancers of the lung and presents as extensive stage disease in 60% to 70% of patients. Sites of metastases include bone (35%), liver (25%), bone marrow (20%), brain (10%), extrathoracic lymph nodes (5%), and subcutaneous masses (5%). Small-cell lung cancer has prominent markers of neuroendocrine differentiation. The staging classification for SCLC is the 2-stage Veterans Administration Lung Study Group system that categorizes patients as having limited or extensive disease. Limited stage SCLC is disease confined to 1 hemithorax with or without adjacent mediastinal and/or supraclavicular lymph node involvement, but without a pleural effusion. This extent of disease can be included in a tolerable radiation field. Extensive-disease SCLC is any disease beyond the definition of limited-stage disease. There are few proven treatment options for SCLC patients who fail first-line chemotherapy. New treatment strategies must be evaluated. The need to discover active agents with better toxicity profiles continues to be of great importance. Amrubicin may be an effective treatment for this population.