A study to find why cancer treatment stops working (MAGENTA)
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This study is open to people whose cancer has spread and who are due treatment with a biological therapy by itself, or with chemotherapy.
More about this trial
Doctors treat cancer that has spread with a 
, or chemotherapy or both. But sometimes the treatment stops working and the cancer no longer responds to it. This means the cancer has become to the treatment.
In this study the researchers want to find out why this happens. Before and during your treatment they will take samples of:
- blood
- urine
- cancer tissue
They will look at the changes in these samples to identify a unique pattern that might tell them why the cancer becomes resistant.
The aims of the study are to:
- understand why cancer becomes resistant to treatment
- how to predict when this might happen
Who can enter
The following bullet points list the entry conditions for this study. Talk to your doctor or the study if you are unsure about any of these. They will be able to advise you.
You may be able to join this study if all of the following apply
- You have cancer that has spread to another part of the body (metastatic). For cancer spread to the brain you must have had treatment for the spread and it has not grown or got worse for at least 1 month afterwards and there are no symptoms
- You are to have treatment with a biological therapy that targets the
epidermal growth receptors (EGFR) such as cetuximab or panitumumab either by itself or with chemotherapy - Your cancer has been tested for changes in the KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PICK3A, exon20 and PTEN if able to be assessed
- You are well enough to be up and about for at least half the day (performance status 0, 1 or 2)
- You are at least 18 years old
You cannot join this study if any of these apply. You
- Have had another cancer in the past 5 years that has a high chance of coming back or could affect treatment in this study apart from successfully treated cervical cancer in situ, non melanoma skin cancer and superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder
- Have currently a lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that is severe
- Have had a
CT scan that shows you have a disease that affects the tissue and space around the air sacs of the lung (interstitial lung disease) - Have had a heart attack in the past year
- Have a heart problem such as heart failure that is severe or isn’t controlled by medication
- Have HIV
- Have moderate to severe nerve damage (
peripheral neuropathy ) - Have any other medical or mental health condition that the study team think could affect you taking part
Trial design
The researchers need 30 to 50 people with bowel cancer that has spread to join. They also need 10 people with any cancer that has spread to join. Everyone will have treatment with a biological therapy such as cetuximab either by itself, or with chemotherapy.
Every 2 to 3 weeks the study team will take blood and urine samples before your treatment. After your treatment has finished the team will take more blood samples when you go to your routine clinic appointment. The researchers will ask for a sample of your cancer that was removed when you had surgery or a when you were diagnosed.
If you have more surgery as part of your routine care, the research team will ask for another sample of cancer tissue. Or if you have another procedure, such as a fluid drained, they will ask for a sample of the fluid.
In the future if your cancer stops responding to treatment, the team will ask for another sample of cancer tissue. You don’t have to agree to this if you don’t want to. You can still take part in the main study.
Hospital visits
There are no extra hospital visits if you take part. You have the study blood samples taken at the same time as your routine blood tests.
You would need to make an extra visit to the hospital if you agreed to have a sample of cancer tissue taken if your cancer stopped responding to treatment.
Side effects
There are no side effects if you take part in this study.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Dr Harpreet Wasan
Supported by
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
Imperial College London
StratiGrad
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
