New Cancer Drug Shrinks Tumors in 61% of Patients

Dominic Taplin was running out of options when his cancer treatment stopped working after two years. Then the 63-year-old pub owner from West Sussex joined a clinical trial testing a new drug called velzatinib, and everything changed.

Today, Dominic is still picking up his daughter from school, running his business, and even cleaning beer lines at his pub. "Without this drug, I wouldn't be able to do any of that," he says.

He's one of 66 patients in the StrateGIST 1 trial testing velzatinib for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors, a rare cancer that grows in the digestive system. Results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting show remarkable promise for people who've had limited treatment choices.

For patients taking velzatinib as their first treatment, 61% saw their tumors shrink by 30% or more. Even as a second treatment after other drugs failed, 35% of patients experienced tumor reduction, with the disease staying controlled for an average of 13.7 months.

The results matter because the current standard treatment, imatinib, has been the same for 24 years. While it revolutionized care when first approved, about half of patients develop resistance within two years as their cancer mutates and finds ways to keep growing.

Velzatinib works differently by targeting a broader range of mutations in the KIT gene, the genetic switch that often malfunctions in this type of cancer. By blocking multiple versions of these mutations, the drug keeps cancer cells from multiplying even when they try to adapt.

Professor Robin Jones, who led the study at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research in London, calls the findings "very promising." The team is now planning a larger randomized trial to test whether velzatinib could replace imatinib as the go-to first treatment.

The Ripple Effect

This research represents more than promising numbers. It shows how understanding cancer at the genetic level can lead to smarter treatments that anticipate how tumors evolve and resist drugs.

For the estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumors each year, having options when first treatments fail means more time with family, continued independence, and hope. Clinical trials like StrateGIST 1 also give patients access to cutting-edge therapies years before they reach wider availability.

Most side effects from velzatinib were mild to moderate, similar to what doctors expect from this drug class. That safety profile matters just as much as effectiveness when patients need to stay on treatment long-term while maintaining quality of life.

The next phase will determine whether velzatinib becomes a new standard of care, potentially giving future patients better odds from day one of their diagnosis.