MSK trial pairs SX-682 with proton radiation for leptomeningeal disease
Published in Brain/Neurology, Diseases!, Drugs development & discovery, Journals.
Published October 11, 2026.
Memorial Sloan Kettering’s October 9 research update highlights an early clinical study combining SX-682 with proton craniospinal irradiation for leptomeningeal disease, where cancer spreads to tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. MSK lists the combination as a Phase Ib trial, NCT07814352; SX-682 inhibits CXCR1/2.
The scientific rationale comes from research published in Science Translational Medicine on September 23, 2026. Analysis of patients’ cerebrospinal fluid linked higher CXCL1 levels before irradiation to poorer treatment response. Higher CXCR2 expression was also associated with worse overall survival.
In mouse models, interfering with CXCL1-CXCR2 signalling slowed metastatic growth and made cancer cells more sensitive to craniospinal irradiation. Those experiments identify a potential therapeutic target, rather than establish benefit from the clinical combination.
The patient associations do not prove causation, and animal results cannot determine human safety or efficacy. The early trial will investigate the combination; no patient outcome results from that trial are presented in the update.
Sources: Science Translational Medicine study, September 23, 2026; MSK trial listing; MSK update, October 9, 2026.