Dr. Chu Discusses CNS Penetration of Ceritinib

Quincy Chu, MD, University of Alberta, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, discusses the ability of ceritinib to penetrate the CNS.

Ceritinib, unlike crizotinib, has substantial CNS penetration, Chus says. It has been shown in animal models that even if the cancer spreads into the brain, ceritinib can have some duration of control. Crizotinib has not demonstrated good CNS penetration, Chu says.

At the 2014 ESMO Congress, researchers provided an update on crizotinib-naïve patients. Chu says the median progression-free survival was approximately 18 months in this population — which is longer than crizotinib.