Dec 2, 2025

A Big Ten CRC clinical trial, BTCRC-LUN18-363, titled, “Chemo-immunotherapy followed by durvalumab and ceralasertib in treatment naïve patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer,” led by Muhammad Furqan, MD, formerly of the University of Iowa, was featured as a proffered paper presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2025 Congress in Berlin. 

See Abstract: https://cslide.ctimeetingtech.com/esmo2025/attendee/confcal/presentation/list?q=btcrc 

Congratulations to all co-authors and study teams whose hard work led to this publication. 

The ESMO Congress 2025 Scientific Committee selected the abstract as a proffered paper, which ESMO defines as “oral presentations by authors presenting original data of superior quality, followed by expert discussion and perspectives.” 

The study investigated whether adding ceralasertib, an ATR inhibitor that targets DNA damage response, to maintenance durvalumab could improve the durability of response following induction with platinum-etoposide plus durvalumab (PED). 

Among 30 patients enrolled between August 2021 and February 2024, the study achieved a confirmed overall response rate (ORR) of 73.3%, including two complete responses. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.1 months, and the 12- and 24-month overall survival (OS) rates were 68% and 59%, respectively. The combination was generally well tolerated, with no new safety signals observed. 

The trial was conducted across multiple Big Ten CRC member institutions, including the University of Iowa, The Ohio State University, the University of Illinois, and Indiana University. 

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow. Since its founding, the Big Ten CRC has activated nearly 40 clinical trials across a wide range of cancer types, more than 1,000 participants have enrolled in Big Ten CRC studies, and more than 500 researchers have joined Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Groups.

About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.