Lung cancer: The drug reduces the risk of death by 51% in patients

Cancer of this type is the deadliest in the country; the studies presented at the largest oncology congress in the world, in the USA, demonstrate, for the first time, the effectiveness of drugs in the early stages of the disease

CHICAGO (USA)* – Two studies presented this weekend at the world’s largest oncology congress indicate progress in the treatment of lung cancerthe cancer that kills the most in Brazil, with an average of 28,000 deaths per year in Brazil.

One of the studies, conducted by the renowned Yale Cancer Center in the United States, showed that a drug was able to reduce the risk of death by 51% for patients with one of the forms of non-small cell lung cancer, the type responsible for more than 80% of cases of the disease.

The works were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO, for its acronym in English), which takes place in Chicago until next Tuesday 6. The work of American researchers investigated, in a phase study 3 with the participation of 682 patients from 26 countries, the use of the drug osimertinib, manufactured by AstraZeneca, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with an EGFR mutation.

All study participants underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and after the operation, part of the patients received the drug and the other group received a placebo. After nearly five years of follow-up, the scientists observed that the risk of death among those taking the drug was 51% lower than in the group who didn’t take it. The benefit was observed in all phases of the disease analyzed.

Yale Cancer Center deputy director and study leader Roy Herbst said the findings should make the use of osimertinib the standard treatment for these types of lung cancer. For him, the overall survival numbers “inspire confidence” in the adoption of the drug for cases of EGFR-mutated cancers.

“This further reinforces the need to identify these patients with available biomarkers at the time of diagnosis and before initiating treatment,” he said, emphasizing the need for tests that can identify which patients have the mutation.

Immunotherapy increases the chance of complete elimination of the disease

Another study, also focused on non-small cell cancers, showed that using the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, from MSD, before surgery to remove the tumor and combined with chemotherapy, increased the chances of it being removed completeness of the tumor during the operation and reduced the risk of recurrence of the disease.

The research, also in Phase 3 and led by Stanford University, showed a 42 percent reduction in the risk of disease recurrence and progression or death among patients who received immunotherapy before surgery.

“Other studies with other immunotherapies have already shown similar benefits. This study confirms the role of preoperative immunotherapy and this strategy becomes an additional therapeutic option for these patients,” he told the Stadium William Nassib William Junior, leader of the thoracic cancer specialty of Grupo Oncoclínicas, who also attended the presentation of the studies in Chicago.

For the specialist, the two studies are different because they are the first to show the benefits of these drugs even for patients with tumors in the early stages, when there is still a chance of a cure.

“In the last two decades, we’ve had two major advances against lung cancer: immunotherapy and targeted therapy,” he said. ‘Until recently, however, these advances were only applicable to patients with advanced disease, a situation where the chances of a cure are very slim or non-existent. These new studies bring disease progress to an earlier stage, when cancers are operable and the chances of a cure are real.”

* The reporter traveled at the invitation of Bayer

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.