A Phase III clinical trial has demonstrated a significant survival benefit for patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) treated with EBV-specific cytotoxic T cell (EBV-CTL) therapy in conjunction with chemotherapy. The VANCE trial, a landmark study in the field of T cell therapy for solid tumors, marks a crucial step forward, overcoming previous barriers in delivering this type of therapy to patients.
The VANCE trial enrolled 330 patients, with 154 completing the study. Patients who received chemotherapy and EBV-CTL therapy experienced improved progression-free survival and overall survival compared to those who received chemotherapy alone. Prior to this Phase III trial, a Phase II trial had already suggested the benefits of administering T cell therapy following first-line chemotherapy, with investigators reporting a median survival of 29.9 months, compared to the typical 11 to 12 months observed in historical trials using chemotherapy alone. One patient achieved complete disease clearance and survived for almost a decade.
Challenges and Future Directions
Despite the promising results, Professor Toh Han Chong, the lead investigator of the VANCE trial, emphasized that further efforts are needed to refine the development and administration of T cell therapies to optimize treatment outcomes. Identifying patient biomarkers is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of this therapy and enabling precision delivery.
Analysis of the Phase II EBV CTL trial, focusing on biomarker identification, will be presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia Congress in December. The results from the Phase III study have been published in the Annals of Oncology.
The Promise of Cell Therapy
Professor Cliona Rooney from Baylor College of Medicine commented on the trial's significance, stating that the successful delivery of high-quality T cells at a large scale represents a major achievement in expanding the applications of these therapies. She highlighted the Singapore-led achievement as particularly commendable, given that T cell therapy was still in its early stages when the work began.
The trial results suggest that identifying the patient biomarkers would boost positive outcomes with this type of therapy, facilitating precision delivery.
