A Study to Test the Safety and Efficacy of the Drug Larotrectinib for the Treatment of Tumors With NTRK-fusion in Children

Summary

The study is being done to test the safety of a cancer drug called larotrectinib in children. The cancer must have a change in a particular gene (NTRK1, NTRK2 or NTRK3). Larotrectinib blocks the actions of these NTRK genes in cancer cells and can therefore be used to treat cancer. The first study part (Phase 1) is done to determine what dose level of larotrectinib is safe for children, how the drug is absorbed and changed by their bodies and how well the cancer responds to the drug. The main purpose of the second study part (Phase 2) is to investigate how well and how long different cancer types respond to the treatment with larotrectininb.

Timeline

Start

2015-12-16

Primary completion

2024-07-20

Completion

2026-09-30

Publications

• Ajani JA, D'Amico TA, Bentrem DJ, Corvera CU, Das P, Enzinger PC, Enzler T, Gerdes H, Gibson MK, Grierson P, Gupta G, Hofstetter WL, Ilson DH, Jalal S, Kim S, Kleinberg LR, Klempner S, Lacy J, Lee B, Licciardi F, Lloyd S, Ly QP, Matsukuma K, McNamara M, Merkow RP, Miller AM, Mukherjee S, Mulcahy MF, Perry KA, Pimiento JM, Reddi DM, Reznik S, Roses RE, Strong VE, Su S, Uboha N, Wainberg ZA, Willett CG, Woo Y, Yoon HH, McMillian NR, Stein M. Gastric Cancer, Version 2.2025, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines In Oncology. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2025 May;23(5):169-191. doi: 10.6004/jnccn.2025.0022.
• Brose MS, Westphalen CB, Pan X, Bernard-Gauthier V, Kurtinecz M, Guo H, Aris V, Brett NR, Majdi A, Subbiah V, Pennell NA, Kehl KL, Drilon A. Larotrectinib Compared With Real-World Non-Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Inhibitor Therapies in Patients With Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Fusion Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol. 2025 Apr;9:e2400500. doi: 10.1200/PO-24-00500. Epub 2025 Apr 23.
• Mascarenhas L, DuBois SG, Albert CM, Bielack S, Orbach D, Federman N, Geoerger B, Nagasubramanian R, Zhang Y, Chisholm J, Gallego Melcon S, Goto H, Morgenstern DA, Owens C, Pappo AS, Perreault S, Schulte JH, Shukla N, Zwaan CM, Neu N, Bernard-Gauthier V, De La Cuesta E, van Tilburg CM, Laetsch TW. Elective Discontinuation of Larotrectinib in Pediatric Patients With TRK Fusion Sarcomas and Related Mesenchymal Tumors. J Clin Oncol. 2025 Apr;43(10):1180-1187. doi: 10.1200/JCO.24.00848. Epub 2025 Jan 27.
• Nahon-Esteve S, Orbach D, Le Loarer F, Hofman P, Lassalle S. Fibroblastic orbital tumour with NTRK1 fusion transcript: when TRK inhibitors rescue surgery. Can J Ophthalmol. 2024 Aug;59(4):e407-e409. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjo.2023.11.008. Epub 2023 Dec 11. No abstract available.
• Subbiah V, Burris HA 3rd, Kurzrock R. Revolutionizing cancer drug development: Harnessing the potential of basket trials. Cancer. 2024 Jan;130(2):186-200. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35085. Epub 2023 Nov 7.
• Kummar S, Shen L, Hong DS, McDermott R, Keedy VL, Casanova M, Demetri GD, Dowlati A, Melcon SG, Lassen UN, Leyvraz S, Liu T, Moreno V, Patel J, Patil T, Mallick AB, Sousa N, Tahara M, Ziegler DS, Norenberg R, Arvis P, Brega N, Drilon A, Tan DSW. Larotrectinib efficacy and safety in adult patients with tropomyosin receptor kinase fusion sarcomas. Cancer. 2023 Dec 1;129(23):3772-3782. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35036. Epub 2023 Sep 28.
• Bokemeyer C, Paracha N, Lassen U, Italiano A, Sullivan SD, Marian M, Brega N, Garcia-Foncillas J. Survival Outcomes of Patients With Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Fusion-Positive Cancer Receiving Larotrectinib Versus Standard of Care: A Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison Using Real-World Data. JCO Precis Oncol. 2023 Jan;7:e2200436. doi: 10.1200/PO.22.00436.
• Rudzinski ER, Drilon A, Moore A, Spinosa S, Willi M, Laetsch TW. Testing methods to diagnose TRK fusion cancer - a plain language summary and patient perspective. Future Oncol. 2022 Dec;18(38):4141-4151. doi: 10.2217/fon-2022-0863. Epub 2023 Jan 6.
• Doz F, van Tilburg CM, Geoerger B, Hojgaard M, Ora I, Boni V, Capra M, Chisholm J, Chung HC, DuBois SG, Gallego-Melcon S, Gerber NU, Goto H, Grilley-Olson JE, Hansford JR, Hong DS, Italiano A, Kang HJ, Nysom K, Thorwarth A, Stefanowicz J, Tahara M, Ziegler DS, Gavrilovic IT, Norenberg R, Dima L, De La Cuesta E, Laetsch TW, Drilon A, Perreault S. Efficacy and safety of larotrectinib in TRK fusion-positive primary central nervous system tumors. Neuro Oncol. 2022 Jun 1;24(6):997-1007. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noab274.
• Bebb DG, Banerji S, Blais N, Desmeules P, Gill S, Grin A, Feilotter H, Hansen AR, Hyrcza M, Krzyzanowska M, Melosky B, Noujaim J, Purgina B, Ruether D, Simmons CE, Soulieres D, Torlakovic EE, Tsao MS. Canadian Consensus for Biomarker Testing and Treatment of TRK Fusion Cancer in Adults. Curr Oncol. 2021 Jan 15;28(1):523-548. doi: 10.3390/curroncol28010053.
• Perreault S, Chami R, Deyell RJ, El Demellawy D, Ellezam B, Jabado N, Morgenstern DA, Narendran A, Sorensen PHB, Wasserman JD, Yip S. Canadian Consensus for Biomarker Testing and Treatment of TRK Fusion Cancer in Pediatric Patients. Curr Oncol. 2021 Jan 9;28(1):346-366. doi: 10.3390/curroncol28010038.
• Bielack SS, Cox MC, Nathrath M, Apel K, Blattmann C, Holl T, Jenewein R, Klenk U, Klothaki P, Muller-Abt P, Ortega-Lawerenz S, Reynolds M, Scheer M, Simon-Klingenstein K, Stegmaier S, Tupper R, Vokuhl C, von Kalle T. Rapid, complete and sustained tumour response to the TRK inhibitor larotrectinib in an infant with recurrent, chemotherapy-refractory infantile fibrosarcoma carrying the characteristic ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion. Ann Oncol. 2019 Nov;30 Suppl 8:viii31-viii35. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz382. Epub 2019 Dec 24.
• Hong DS, DuBois SG, Kummar S, Farago AF, Albert CM, Rohrberg KS, van Tilburg CM, Nagasubramanian R, Berlin JD, Federman N, Mascarenhas L, Geoerger B, Dowlati A, Pappo AS, Bielack S, Doz F, McDermott R, Patel JD, Schilder RJ, Tahara M, Pfister SM, Witt O, Ladanyi M, Rudzinski ER, Nanda S, Childs BH, Laetsch TW, Hyman DM, Drilon A. Larotrectinib in patients with TRK fusion-positive solid tumours: a pooled analysis of three phase 1/2 clinical trials. Lancet Oncol. 2020 Apr;21(4):531-540. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30856-3. Epub 2020 Feb 24.
• Bielack SS, Cox MC, Nathrath M, Apel K, Blattmann C, Holl T, Jenewein R, Klenk U, Klothaki P, Muller-Abt P, Ortega-Lawerenz S, Reynolds M, Scheer M, Simon-Klingenstein K, Stegmaier S, Tupper R, Vokuhl C, von Kalle T. Rapid, complete and sustained tumour response to the TRK inhibitor larotrectinib in an infant with recurrent, chemotherapy-refractory infantile fibrosarcoma carrying the characteristic ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion. Ann Oncol. 2019 Nov 1;30(Suppl_8):viii31-viii35. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz382.
• DuBois SG, Laetsch TW, Federman N, Turpin BK, Albert CM, Nagasubramanian R, Anderson ME, Davis JL, Qamoos HE, Reynolds ME, Cruickshank S, Cox MC, Hawkins DS, Mascarenhas L, Pappo AS. The use of neoadjuvant larotrectinib in the management of children with locally advanced TRK fusion sarcomas. Cancer. 2018 Nov 1;124(21):4241-4247. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31701. Epub 2018 Sep 11.
• Laetsch TW, DuBois SG, Mascarenhas L, Turpin B, Federman N, Albert CM, Nagasubramanian R, Davis JL, Rudzinski E, Feraco AM, Tuch BB, Ebata KT, Reynolds M, Smith S, Cruickshank S, Cox MC, Pappo AS, Hawkins DS. Larotrectinib for paediatric solid tumours harbouring NTRK gene fusions: phase 1 results from a multicentre, open-label, phase 1/2 study. Lancet Oncol. 2018 May;19(5):705-714. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30119-0. Epub 2018 Mar 29.
• Drilon A, Laetsch TW, Kummar S, DuBois SG, Lassen UN, Demetri GD, Nathenson M, Doebele RC, Farago AF, Pappo AS, Turpin B, Dowlati A, Brose MS, Mascarenhas L, Federman N, Berlin J, El-Deiry WS, Baik C, Deeken J, Boni V, Nagasubramanian R, Taylor M, Rudzinski ER, Meric-Bernstam F, Sohal DPS, Ma PC, Raez LE, Hechtman JF, Benayed R, Ladanyi M, Tuch BB, Ebata K, Cruickshank S, Ku NC, Cox MC, Hawkins DS, Hong DS, Hyman DM. Efficacy of Larotrectinib in TRK Fusion-Positive Cancers in Adults and Children. N Engl J Med. 2018 Feb 22;378(8):731-739. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1714448.

Drugs

Indications