rEECur is an international clinical trial. Patients aged two years and above in whom a recurrent or drug-resistant Ewing sarcoma has been diagnosed can be enrolled in the trial. Ewing sarcoma is a rare, malignant cancer that most commonly occurs in bones.
A maximum of five rEECur patients are expected annually in Switzerland. The trial is open for recruitment in many European countries and in New Zealand and Australia.
To date, there is no standard therapy for patients in whom a recurrence or a drug-resistant Ewing sarcoma has been diagnosed. Recurrent and resistant cancers are generally more difficult to treat because they no longer respond well to chemotherapy. Currently, doctors decide based on certain factors which treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy) should be used in which situation. In the rEECur trial, different chemotherapies with established medications will be compared with each other. The results obtained with the different treatments will be analysed on an ongoing basis. As the trial progresses, treatments that are not working as well may be removed from the trial or new treatments may be included. Patients will be assigned to one of the treatments on a random basis. The trial will investigate which of the tested treatments is most likely to prolong event-free survival. “Events” include progression of the disease, a relapse after initial success, the occurrence of a secondary disease, and deaths. Information about the patients’ quality of life will be collected using short questionnaires before and during the treatment. The aim of the trial is to further improve treatment for patients with the same disease in the future.
The University of Birmingham, School of Cancer Sciences, Cancer Research UK Clinical Trial Unit (CRCTU) in the United Kingdom, is responsible for organising the trial (sponsor). The Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group (SPOG) is responsible for performing the trial in Switzerland (sponsor’s representative).
In short
-
The study is investigating the treatment of recurrent and drug-resistant Ewing sarcoma in children and adults.
-
To date, no standard therapy exists for patients diagnosed with recurrent or drug-resistant Ewing sarcoma.
-
The study is designed to show what treatment is most likely to increase the survival rates of the participants and enhance the quality of life.
