Candel Therapeutics reports breakthrough data for late-stage lung cancer

Core Insights - Candel Therapeutics Inc has presented promising clinical data from a Phase 2a study of its immunotherapy candidate CAN-2409 for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, particularly in patients who have exhausted standard treatment options [1][2] - The study indicates that CAN-2409 may double the expected median overall survival for patients who have failed multiple lines of chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors [2][6] Patient Population - The study enrolled patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, primarily those with stage four metastatic disease and poor prognostic indicators, including low PD-L1 expression and a history of smoking [1][4][5] - 90% of participants had stage four metastatic disease and had previously failed all available treatments, indicating a very poor prognosis [4][5] Clinical Outcomes - The results showed that 37% of patients were still alive two years after treatment with CAN-2409, which is significantly longer than expected for this patient population [3][6] - Some patients have survived beyond three or four years, which is notable given their progressive metastatic lung cancer [3] Treatment Comparison - The standard of care for this patient population is docetaxel chemotherapy, which has a median overall survival of no more than 10.8 months [5] - CAN-2409 has shown potential to extend overall survival significantly beyond this benchmark, providing hope for patients with limited options [6][9] Future Steps - The company plans to conduct a larger, registration-enabling clinical trial to further validate these findings, aligning with key academic experts and the FDA [6][7] - The timeline for this next phase has not yet been announced, but the company is actively engaging with experts to expedite the process [7] Broader Implications - The application of CAN-2409 may extend beyond lung cancer, with indications of similar efficacy in pancreatic cancer, another challenging disease [8] - The treatment is generally well tolerated, with mild flu-like symptoms lasting less than 24 hours, and requires only two administrations to educate the patient's immune system to control the tumor [9]