Vergent Bioscience announced that new data presented at the IASLC 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (#WCLC23) suggest the company’s tumor-targeted fluorescent imaging agent is active and can safely be used to detect tumor tissue in the lung with high accuracy. Findings from the Phase 2 surgical study evaluating VGT-309 suggest the investigational agent could improve surgeons’ ability to see difficult-to-find and previously undetected tumors in real time to help optimize patient outcomes.
The Phase 2 study evaluated the safety and efficacy of VGT-309 in 27 individuals with suspected or proven cancer in the lung who were eligible for surgery. Each patient in the study received a VGT-309 infusion on the day prior to or day of surgery. Following an attempt to identify each tumor using standard surgical techniques, researchers used a commercially available near-infrared (NIR) endoscope to assess the lung for the presence of any additional tumor tissue, which was then confirmed by pathology.
Of the 27 participants, 23 had confirmed cancer, one had typical carcinoid, and three had non-neoplastic processes. The following tumor types were visualized intraoperatively with VGT-309 and NIR imaging: non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma), metastatic carcinoma with breast origin, and high-grade sarcoma of epithelioid morphology. In two patients, VGT-309 identified tumor tissue in lymph nodes that was pathologically confirmed to be cancer, resulting in upstaging that could potentially impact patient treatment and outcomes.
VGT-309 appeared to be safe and well tolerated across all dose levels studied, with no infusion reactions and only one patient experiencing a serious adverse event - a transient elevated liver-function test that resolved without intervention.