Histology independent drug development – Is this the future for cancer drugs?

The Cancer Drug Development Forum (CDDF)’s ‘Histology independent drug development – is this the future for cancer drugs?’ workshop was set up to explore the current landscape of histology independent drug development, review the current regulatory landscape and propose recommendations for improving the conduct of future trials.

The first session considered lessons learnt from previous trials, including innovative solutions for reimbursement. The session explored why overall survival represents the most valuable endpoint, and the importance of duration of response, which can be captured with swimmer and spider plots.

The second session on biomarker development and treatment optimisation considered current regulations for companion diagnostics, FDA guidance on histology independent drug development in oncology, and the need to establish cut-offs for the biomarker of tumour mutational burden to identify the patients most likely to benefit from PDL1 treatment.

The third session reviewed novel trial designs, including basket, umbrella and platform trials, and statistical approaches of hierarchical modelling where homogeneity between study cohorts enables information to be borrowed between cohorts. The discussion highlighted the need to agree ‘common assessment standards’ to facilitate pooling of data across studies.

In the fourth session, the sharing of data sets was recognised as a key step for improving equity of access to precision medicines across Europe. The session considered how the European Health Data Space (EHDS) could streamline access to medical records, emphasizing the importance of introducing greater accountability into the digital space.

In conclusion the workshop proposed 11 recommendations to facilitate histology agnostic drug development.