Development of new treatment strategy for lung cancer haboring MET exon14 mutation

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16813
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 50020:Tumor diagnostics and therapeutics-related
• Research Institution: Kindai University
• Principal Investigator: Fujino Toshio 近畿大学, 医学部, 助教 (90813981)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 非小細胞肺癌 / 分子標的治療 / MET遺伝子変異 / 獲得耐性変異

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Two MET-TKIs (capatinib and tepotinib) were approved in 2020 for use in non-small cell lung cancer with MET exon14 skipping mutation. However, there is a problem that some patients show primary resistance to these drugs and that even responders will eventually develop resistance to these drugs.
We have shown that foretinib may be useful for overcoming on-target resistance mutations to capatinib and tepotinib. We also found that heterogeneity of cancer-related genes besides MET gene may influence the efficacy of MET-TKI.

Free Research Field

肺癌の分子標的治療

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で得られた知見により、MET exon14 skipping変異を伴う肺癌患者において、初回に投与されたMET阻害剤に耐性を来した場合でも、再び有効な治療を受ける機会が提供できる可能性がある。