Study: Precision Medicine Yields Better Outcomes in Phase I Clinical Trials

A meta-analysis of 346 phase I clinical trials, involving more than 13,000 patients, found that selecting treatment based on a tumor’s molecular characteristics led to significantly better outcomes.

“Our study suggests that, with a precision medicine approach, we can use a patient’s individual tumor biomarkers to determine whether they are likely to benefit from a particular therapy, even when that therapy is at the earliest stage of clinical development,” said lead study author Maria Schwaederle, of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy at the University of California, San Diego. “This strategy often results in good outcomes for patients, and I hope it will encourage and reassure doctors and patients considering enrollment in precision medicine-based phase I trials.”