3 days Ago By John Sterling
A research team from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and collaborators have demonstrated that a novel topical BRAF inhibitor gel called LUT014 significantly reduces the severity of an acne-like rash, a common and painful side effect experienced by patients undergoing anti-EGFR therapies for colorectal cancer.The results of the clinical trial, which the investigators say confirm the treatment’s safety and effectiveness, were discussed in an oral presentation at the AACR conference in Chicago.“The findings offer the first real solution in two decades for managing this rash, which frequently impacts patients receiving targeted therapies for colorectal cancer,” said study co-author Zev Wainberg, MD, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
“The ability to effectively treat it with a simple topical gel has the potential to greatly improve quality of life for patients and treatment outcomes.”Anti-EGFR therapies, such as cetuximab and panitumumab, are a cornerstone of treatment for many cancers, including colorectal cancer. However, they often cause an acneiform rash that frequently leads to impaired quality of life and can lead to dose reductions or discontinuation of treatment, limiting their potential benefits, noted Wainberg.
LUT014, being developed by Lutris Pharma, works by paradoxically reactivating MAPK, a key signaling pathway in the skin that anti-EGFR therapies shut down. By applying the BRAF inhibitor gel directly to the affected areas, the gel helps restore skin function, reduce inflammation, and improve symptoms without impacting the anti-cancer effects of the treatment.Approach and resultsThe Phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized study enrolled 118 patients across 23 medical centers.
Patients had colorectal cancer and developed moderate to severe rashes while taking cetuximab or panitumumab, two common anti-EGFR treatments.The participants were randomly divided into three groups. One group used a low-dose gel, another a higher-dose gel, and the third used a placebo gel, which had no active drug.
In each case, the gel was applied once a day for 28 days.The main goal was to see if the rash improved, either by one level of severity or through better quality-of-life scores related to skin issues. The researchers found that patients using LUT014 gel experienced marked improvements in rash severity and quality of life compared to those receiving a placebo, without interfering with their cancer treatment.
Nearly 70% in the group using higher-dose gel saw their scores improve compared to about half (48%) of those using the low-dose gel and about one in three (33%) patients using gel with no active drug.According to the scientists, it is now possible to alleviate skin toxicity without compromising the effectiveness of cancer treatment. This could help patients stay on their treatments longer, reducing the need for dose reductions or discontinuation, which in turn may improve overall treatment outcomes.
“Until now, patients were simply told that the rash was an unavoidable side effect of these treatments, something they had to endure for the sake of fighting their cancer,” said Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the tumor immunology program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and a study co-author.“But the data is overwhelmingly positive,” continued Ribas, who is also the founder and director of Lutris Pharma, the company that developed LUT014. “This approach not only improves patients’ quality of life but also makes the cancer treatment more manageable.
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