Non-small cell lung cancer is the subject of an important study for Brazil

The same way it happens in developed countries, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is generally diagnosed in its advanced stages and has poor survival rates in Brazil. Overall, approximately 70% of patients present with locally advanced or metastatic disease (stages III and IV, respectively) at diagnosis.1

In order to collect data on clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes of patients with stage III NSCLC in Brazil, Dr. Vladmir Cláudio Cordeiro de Lima started the observational study Retrospective epidemiological study of Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (LACOG 0118 – RELANCE). He has worked as the principal investigator of the study ever since. Dr. Cordeiro de Lima is a clinical oncologist at the Department of Clinical Oncology at the AC Camargo Cancer Center. He also works as a permanent advisor of the Postgraduate Course in Sciences focused on the Oncology area at the Antônio Prudente Foundation, and as an investigator at the Translational Immuno-oncology Laboratory (CIPE) at the Antônio Prudente Foundation.

The study aims to describe the outcomes of 400 patients with locally advanced NSCLC (stage III). The study is supported by LACOG and, according to Dr. Cordeiro de Lima, this support is extremely important because cooperative groups help to bring together and coordinate different regional institutions involved in cancer treatment. Such unification facilitates the generation of more robust and generalizable knowledge. In addition to that, it optimizes patient recruitment for intervention studies.

According to Dr. Cordeiro de Lima, data and studies in Oncology are scarce in Latin America: “There are demographic and genetic characteristics as well as environmental exposures here that are different from those of European, North American and Asian populations. Compared to those populations, Latin America is underrepresented in clinical studies. For that reason, the promotion and participation of Latin American countries in Oncology studies are of primary importance.

The achievement of studies like this relies greatly on investigators and research sites. The role of an investigator is to participate in the development, the coordination and supervision of the study, as well as communicate with the other collaborating sites. “These two fronts (investigator – research sites) must act in harmony to ensure the smooth running of the study, the quality of the information generated, the safety and privacy of the research subjects and to optimize the recruitment of candidates for interventionist or observational clinical studies”, concludes Dr. Cordeiro de Lima.

Bibliographic reference

1 Araújo LH, Baldotto C, de Castro Jr. G, et al. Câncer de pulmão no Brasil. J Bras Pneumol.
2018;44(1):55-64.