Identifying the Best Laboratory Method for assessing MET Amplification
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An appraisal of laboratory technologies to determine the most accurate method of assessing MET amplification and overexpression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients progressing on TKI therapy.
IRAS ID
339546
Contact name
Filomena Medieros
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 12 days
Research summary
Lung cancer accounts for 21% of cancer related deaths in the UK. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer have only a 15% chance of being alive five years after diagnosis (ONS, 2018). Due to the emergence of new individually prescribed cancer medicines, there has been a decrease in lung cancer deaths. Medicines prescribed in this way are termed personalised medicine or targeted therapy. (John and Broggio, 2018). This project focuses on a type of lung cancer, called Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), formed in the mucus producing cells in the lungs. 50% of Asian patients and 11-16% European NSCLC patients have alterations in a specific region of their DNA called the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor gene (EGFR). This alteration leads to a dysfunctional molecule in lung cells called the EGFR protein. The EGFR protein has an important role in the growth and development of lung cells. The dysfunctional form of EGFR means cells can multiply uncontrollably which leading to cancer. Medicines called Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) can destroy lung cancer cells in patients that are EGFR positive (Wang et al., 2019). However, patients can stop having any benefit from this type of therapy after some time, because the cancer cells find other ways of growing, one of these ways is through a different pathway called MET (Wang et al., 2019).
Like EGFR, MET protein has a role in cell growth and development. A third of EGFR mutated NSCLC patients have a faulty MET pathway in the cancer cells after TKI therapy. There are several clinical trials underway testing the effectiveness of MET inhibitors. The best method for identifying patients that may benefit from this treatment remains unclear. This project aims to evaluate different laboratory tests to determine the best method for identify patients who may benefit from this treatment.REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0239
Date of REC Opinion
26 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion