MASTER KEY Project: Powering Clinical Development for Rare Cancers Through a Platform Trial

For rare cancers, challenges in establishing standard therapies are greater than those for major cancers, and effective methods are needed. MASTER KEY Project is a multicenter study based in Japan, with two main parts: prospective registry study and multiple clinical trials. Advanced rare cancers, cancers of unknown primary origin, and those with rare tissue subtypes of common cancers are targeted. The registry study accumulates highly reliable consecutive data that can be used for future drug development. The multiple trials are conducted simultaneously, targeting either a specific biomarker or a rare tumor type of interest. The first interim data set from the registry part presented here shows the prevalence of genetic abnormalities, response rates, survival rates, and clinical trial enrollment rates. From May 2017 to April 2019, 560 patients (mean age = 53) were enrolled in the project. Frequent cancer types included soft tissue sarcomas, neuroendocrine tumors, and central nervous system tumors. Among the 528 patients with assessable data, 69% (364/528) had next‐generation sequencing tests, with 48% (176/364) harboring an “actionable” alteration. Seventy‐one (13%) patients have been enrolled in one of the clinical trials, with an accrual rate of 3.94 patients/month. A descriptive analysis of biomarker‐directed or non‐biomarker‐directed treatment survival was performed. This project is expected to accelerate development of treatments for rare cancers and show that comprehensive platform trials are an advantageous strategy.