REGO-EWING trial opens in third Australian state
Tuesday 16 April 2024
The ANZCHOG sponsored, REGO-EWING trial has recently opened at Monash Children’s Hospital, having opened earlier this year at Perth Children’s Hospital and Queensland Children’s Hospital.
The international trial is investigating the efficacy of inhibitor drug, Regorafenib with conventional chemotherapy for children and young people who have been newly diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma that has spread to other organs. Regorafenib is approved in Australia to treat cancers in the bowel, liver and gastrointestinal system, however it has not been approved for the treatment of Ewing Sarcoma. The drug has shown promising results when used for relapsed Ewing Sarcoma, however the REGO-EWING trial is the first time it has been combined with intensive chemotherapy for newly diagnosed patients.
Ewing Sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that occurs in the bone or soft tissue and is most prevalent in children, adolescents and young adults, commonly occurring in the pelvis, chest wall and the legs. It is one of the highest mortality cancers for adolescents and young adults.
“Ewing sarcoma is one of the most common bone and soft tissue cancer in adolescents and young adults. When metastatic, it is very hard to treat with conventional therapies. We are very hopeful that the opening of a new clinical trial such as REGO-EWING – combining a new targeted agent, regorafenib, with standard chemotherapy – will finally allow us to do better and improve the outcomes of our patients with such devastating cancers.”
Paediatric oncologist and deputy trial principal investigator, Dr. Natacha Omer.
REGO-EWING joins two other ANZCHOG sponsored international clinical trials for Ewing Sarcoma patients; INTER-EWING (in development), which is examining several new treatment strategies for newly diagnosed patients, and rEECur which aims to find out which course of treatment is the most effective and with the least side effects for relapsed patients.
REGO-EWING has been made possible with the valuable support from Canteen Australia’s Australian Young Cancer Patient Clinical Trials Initiative, which is supported by the Commonwealth Department of Health via the Medical Research Future Fund, The Kids’ Cancer Project and the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation, the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund and our clinical collaborators, Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA) supported by their philanthropic partner the GPA Andrew Ursini Charitable Fund.
ANZCHOG is a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring Australian and New Zealand children receive world-class cancer care. We are the peak professional body for paediatric oncologists and health professionals who care for children with cancer, spearheading national initiatives to enhance clinical care through communication, research, networking and education. We are also the national cooperative clinical trials group for childhood cancer, actively working with trial consortia around the globe to ensure Australian and New Zealand children have the opportunity to access the latest promising cancer treatments.
