ALK Lung Cancer Clinical Trials Recruiting (Current as of April 2020)
Clinical trials play an important role in the long-term survival of many lung cancer patients. Below is a compilation of resources that will help ALK-positive patients and their care teams identify suitable clinical trials that are open to them.
Our ALK Positive clinical trial spreadsheet focuses on interventional trials that test specific ALK lung cancer treatments. But there are additional clinical trials that look at wellness techniques, and how they improve quality of life and cancer outcomes. How would you like to be treated for wellness with your care partner? There are several clinical trials for people with cancer that include their partner. The goal is to treat the “dyad” of both the patient and their partner to improve wellness for both. Even if there is not a specific trial for you and your partner, these studies can inspire you and your caregiver to learn wellness techniques together. Learning in dyads can help create a vocabulary for coping strategies and allow partners to help each other manage stress.
MD Anderson in Houston, Texas USA has a trial of Dyadic Yoga for stage I-III lung cancer patients who are undergoing radiation therapy. The survivor and caregiver do yoga sessions together. The yoga intervention is being compared to an educational program that doesn't involve mind/body practice.
There is a study of Compassion Meditation for Cancer Survivor-Caregiver Dyads at the University of Arizona in Tucson, USA. The couples in the experimental group will have 8 sessions of compassion meditation training (CBCT), then they practice at home together for 10 minutes a day. The comparison group will have cancer care education sessions. There is a similar Couples Meditation trial at MD Anderson.
To find our more about wellness trials for lung cancer patients and caregivers, click on the following link, or search ClinicalTrials.gov using the terms "cancer" and "caregiver", then check recruiting.
COVID-19 & CLINICAL TRIALS
It is suspected that trials will be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is terribly disappointing. In contacting some clinical trial coordinators and asking if they are still enrolling in ongoing trials with the pandemic, clear answers were not given. They did say that the main emphasis now is keeping enrolled patients in ongoing trials, and finding safe ways to treat them (telemedicine, mailing meds to home, etc). If there is a clinical trial you are interested in, it is recommended that you contact them and see if they are currently enrolling patients.
ALK Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Help and Searching
ALK Positive Support Group Clinical Trials Spreadsheet*
GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer - LUNGMATCH
LUNGevity Online Clinical Trial Finder
As of March 2020, there are at least 31 clinical trials that are recruiting specifically for people with ALK-positive lung cancer. Many of these trials have multiple sites worldwide. Since ALK-positive lung cancer is a rare disease, it is difficult for any one oncologist to be aware of all the trials available. You can advocate for yourself and find a clinical trial that may be a good fit for you at any juncture in treatment.
*Spreadsheet developed by ALK Positive Volunteer Ellee Urban and ALK Positive MPAC in August 2018. Updated monthly and posted in the ALK Positive Support Group.
Disclaimer: these trials have been consolidated by a volunteer and should not be considered exhaustive. Listing of these trials is not an endorsement, and ALK Positive does not recommend one trial over another. Please talk with your doctor about these or any trials you are interested in.