NCCN Awarded $2 Million in Research Funding from Taiho Oncology to Study Trifluridine and Tipiracil in Various Cancers

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Oncology Research Program received a grant to investigate effectiveness of trifluridine and tipiracil for treatment of people with colorectal, gastric, and other cancers

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National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Oct 22, 2018, 10:00 ET

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) announces plans to develop a program to scientifically evaluate and facilitate clinical trials on the efficacy of trifluridine and tipiracil chemotherapy. The project will focus on colorectal and gastric cancers, though not exclusively. The research funding comes from a $2-million grant from Taiho Oncology.

"This grant gives researchers at NCCN Member Institutions a great opportunity to lead investigator-initiated studies into the effectiveness of this treatment combination for people with various metastatic cancers," said Susan Most, RN, MBA, Director, Clinical Operations, NCCN ORP. "Our scientifically structured peer-reviewed systems allow us to collaborate with some of the top researchers in oncology in order to advance our collective understanding of how to provide the safest, most patient-centric courses of treatment."

"We are proud to support NCCN ORP research as it is an important means to add to our knowledge of trifluridine/tipiracil in metastatic cancer care," said Martin Birkhofer, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Taiho Oncology, Inc. "This grant is illustrative of our commitment to positively impact the lives of patients living with colorectal, gastric and other advanced cancers."

The combination of trifluridine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, and tipiracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor, is used to treat people with colon or rectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and who have previously been treated with or cannot receive certain chemotherapy medicines.

The first phase of this research project will involve the creation of a Request for Proposals Development Team to evaluate existing data and define the types of studies needed to further explore the safety and clinical effectiveness of trifluridine and tipiracil. The Request for Proposals is scheduled to go out in the fourth quarter of 2018.

The NCCN ORP draws on the expertise of the investigators at NCCN Member Institutions to facilitate all phases of clinical research in order to advance therapeutic options for people with cancer. To learn more about the NCCN ORP and ongoing clinical trials, visit NCCN.org/ORP.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 27 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.