Trial of ZD6474 and Faslodex in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Current treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is inadequate, with a median survival of 8-12 months. Second-line therapy options include cytotoxic agents or molecularly-targeted agents such as erlotinib. Nevertheless, only 7-9% of patients will respond to standard second-line treatment. Treatment-related side effects from cytotoxic drugs and declining performance status in patients with progressing disease are significant issues in this patient population. Novel approaches with molecularly-targeted agents are clearly needed. The combination of vandetanib and fulvestrant addresses the potential to interfere with multiple interdependent growth-stimulatory pathways simultaneously. Recent work has revealed cross-talk between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and estrogen receptor (ER) pathways. This clinical trial will evaluate the clinical interaction of the EGFR inhibitor, vandetanib, in combination with the ER down-regulator, fulvestrant.