 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
October 27th, 2010
05:01 PM ET
Lung cancer treatment shows promise
A new drug is showing remarkable promise in treating lung cancer patients who have a rare genetic mutation. The drug, crizotinib, stabilized or improved the disease in 90 percent of patients in an early stage clinical trial, according to study results released Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). "Some of our patients will notice improvement of their symptoms within a few days or a week," said Dr. Alice Shaw, one of the drug's lead investigators. “These responses are dramatic.” The drug targets a genetic mutation found in 3 to 4 percent of non-small cell lung cancer patients, typically non-smokers. The mutation, called anaplastic lymphoma kinase or ALK, triggers cancer cells to grow. Crizotinib, developed by the drug company Pfizer, inhibits the mutation and essentially shuts down new cancer cell growth. "When you turn it off they actually stop growing and many of these cells die," Shaw said. Crizotinib is not a cure. On average, the treatment provides patients another six to 12 months of good quality life, although some patients are still alive two years after first responding well to the drug. 57 percent of patients in the study experienced a significant reduction in the size of their tumors. The tumors shrank less in an additional 33 percent of patients who still saw their disease stabilize. Evie Cogan, a lung cancer patient, started on the breakthrough drug in January.  "The disease was progressing and nothing was helping. I was running out of options," Cogan said. "I found my miracle. You pray that they're going to come out with something new, and it happens. It became my reality. And for me it came out in the nick of time." Targeted therapies similar to the one that has extended Cogan's life have been used to treat certain types of leukemia, melanoma and rare sarcomas. "With the advent of all the targeted therapies that are being developed you can really try to match the targeted therapy with the tumor to which there might be the best chance of response and benefit," said Dr. Eunice Kwak, the lead author of the study in NEJM. "You can more efficiently treat people with drugs that are more likely to help them, rather than treating them with drugs that you're sort of blindly treating them with because you're hoping there's a chance of response." The clinical drug trial of crizotinib is ongoing as more patients are being enrolled. In a statement, Pfizer said the company plans to file for approval of the drug early next year.
Next entry »Cholera cases rising around the world
« Previous entryIs my chest pain related to heart disease?
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. Recent Comments
 |
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Help | Advertising Practices
It's a start, 100 years from now when all
cancers are cured it will be remembered
as such.
Doubtful they "all" will be "cured". There may be treatments for most of them so that it becomes more of chronic rather than terminal disease though.
Smoke em if ya got em.
This is really great, seeing that unemployed people can not afford to get health insurance to cover these new cures. In a few years, nobody will be able to get insurance. So what is the point of all this research? Seems like a waste of time and money to me.
DW- obviously your life has been unaffected by cancer. Your opinion shows you to be a complete fool. My mother is struggling with one of the deadliest cancers known to man and you bet your bottom dollar I support all the research that is being done for a cure. WHy is research to save and prolong a good quality of life a "waste of money"? Count your blessings- you obviously live a very blessed life.
Nice fear tactic. My insurance rate has dropped by 4%. And my out of pocket for prescriptions have been reduced by 6%.
I wish Evie Cogan continued good results. We need to raise awareness and money for the disease that is taking so many lives. Most people don't know that getting a spiral ct scan can detect lung cancer when it is curable. It was too late for my sister. I hope others reading this will investigate early detection.
Lung cancer is curable in its early stages. Get a ct spiral scan for early detection. Many hospitals have programs with reduced rates for the scan. The scan could have saved my sister. When my sister died of lung cancer I started a memorial garden. The garden has helped me deal with the loss in ways I couldn't imagine. I've taken over 5000 pictures of the beautiful blooms inspired by my sister. Many people after viewing the garden are leaving comments and making dedications to loved ones. Please visit and share the garden magic. http://www.mysisterdalesgarden.
Thank goodness science is learning how to target thed Cancer cells directly. We have seen how positvely this drug works..Each of us has been affected by disease is some wayl Some of us have been lucky enough to have been touched by advances in treatment. Thank you to the scientists and doctors who have positively affected the quality and length of our lives.
I had a huge largecell tumor in my left lung. Felt like a broke rib a few times. Told the doc 3 times at Ft Sill, who ignored it. Went to the ER at OKC and they found it in 10 min, they wanted to admit me then but I have a son. A week later they removed my left lung. A yr later theres no trace of cancer. I have felt that death sentence and thank God for everyday I have with my son. I pray that drug leads in the right direction for everyones sake.
it show we have promise in the medical feild. that in itself show if we can cure one type of cancer we can cure another
Thank God for this new drug. It is a start that the medical community should run with, and fast!
Cancer of the lung cancers could be aggressive and dangerous, stemming via a variety of sources. As the number 1 reason for cancer fatalities in the the usa and …lung cancer
What are chances of mesothelioma tactical for somebody who's recently been positively informed they have this disease find out more on emergency prices and the aspects in which ...Mesothelioma
I simply couldn't leave your site prior to suggesting that I really loved the usual info a person provide on your visitors? Is going to be again ceaselessly in order to investigate cross-check new posts