According to recent data, combination treatment with RAD001 (everolimus) and Sandostatin LAR(R) Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension) and RAD001 given alone control tumor growth in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET), a rare and difficult-to-treat form of cancer.

These results, from the RADIANT-1 (RAD001 In Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors) study, were presented today at the 33rd European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. In the trial, patients with pancreatic NET who became resistant to chemotherapy were given either daily RAD001 combined with monthly Sandostatin(R) LAR Depot or daily RAD001 alone. Results showed that 82% of patients receiving combination therapy and 77% receiving monotherapy had tumors that either decreased in size or remained stable.

The study explores the potential of mTOR inhibition for patients with pancreatic NET by examining RAD001 alone or in combination with standard of care treatment, Sandostatin LAR(R) Depot. RAD001 is a once-daily oral therapy that continuously inhibits the mTOR protein, a central regulator of cell division and tumor blood vessel growth.

The company feels that the findings begin to establish the role of RAD001 as a promising new option for patients with a rare and deadly form of cancer that historically has not responded well to any treatment, and that the combination of RAD001 and Sandostatin LAR(R) Depot may offer a novel treatment approach for disease and symptom control in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors who are resistant to chemotherapy.

Two Phase III trials investigating the use of RAD001 and Sandostatin LAR(R) Depot are underway in patients with pancreatic NET and carcinoid tumors. The endpoints will be progression-free survival and overall survival.

Source: Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation