The University Hospital Cologne and Gustave Roussy in Paris have initiated a collaborative research project, REDUCE-LUNG, to refine treatment strategies for elderly patients with advanced lung cancer. The three-year study, supported by a EUR 1.5 million grant from the German Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Stiftung and the French Oddo family, will investigate whether a less intensive chemotherapy regimen can provide similar efficacy with improved tolerability compared to the current standard of care.
Study Design and Objectives
REDUCE-LUNG is designed to compare two treatment approaches in patients over 70 years of age with advanced lung cancer. One group will receive two cycles of chemo-immunotherapy followed by immunotherapy maintenance, while the control group will undergo the standard treatment of four cycles of chemo-immunotherapy. The primary objective is to determine if the reduced-intensity regimen is non-inferior in terms of efficacy and superior in terms of tolerability.
"We are very much looking forward to this joint, cross-border project," said Prof. Dr. Michael Hallek, Director of Clinic I for Internal Medicine and the Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Cologne. "We are grateful for the support of the donors for this important, potentially practice-changing study which will determine whether a reduced intensity of chemotherapy is similarly effective but better tolerated than standard therapy for the study group."
Implementation and Collaboration
The study will be conducted across 15 selected centers in Germany and France. In Germany, the Lung Cancer Group Cologne, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Jürgen Wolf at the University Hospital of Cologne, and the national Network Genomic Medicine Lung Cancer (nNGM) will oversee the operational aspects. In France, Dr. Maxime Frélaud will lead the study at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Center.
Potential Impact on Treatment Guidelines
The findings from the REDUCE-LUNG study are expected to be incorporated into international treatment guidelines, potentially transforming the management of elderly patients with lung cancer. "We are deeply grateful to the donors for their generous support, which will help generate practice-changing results and insights that contribute to optimizing the treatment of patients with lung cancer," added Prof. Fabrice André, Research Director of Gustave Roussy.
