One of the most aggressive forms of lung cancer is small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is associated with an extremely poor prognosis. Surgery is not an option for SCLC patients, leaving chemotherapy and radiotherapy as the key current treatment. While immunotherapy has shown some early promise in treating lung cancer, it has had limited benefits when targeting SCLC.
Associate Professor Kate Sutherland from the WEHI is investigating why some patients are responding better to immunotherapy than others. To undertake this research, VCB is procuring high-quality tumour tissue and blood derivatives from SCLC patients.