Scientists have observed that the drug osimertinib could reduce the risk of death in patients with a certain type of lung cancer.
- Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the third in women.
- A new drug could halve the risk of death in patients with a certain type of lung cancer.
- The osimertinib treatment would prevent the tumor from spreading to the brain, liver and bones.
Presented at the annual conference of cancer specialists in Chicago (USA), a new treatment could halve the risk of mortality in patients with a certain type of lung cancer and presenting a particular mutation.
A drug that targets a particular form of lung cancer
According to the Arc Foundation, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the third in women. Osimertinib is intended for patients affected by so-called cancernon-small celland having an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF receptor) mutation. According to information from Agence France Presse (AFP)these mutations are present in 10% to 25% of lung cancer cases in the United States and Europe, and 30% to 40% of cases in Asia.
During the clinical trial, the researchers recruited 680 patients at an early stage of the disease in around 20 countries. The participants had all been operated on to remove the tumor before starting treatment. They were then split into two groups: half took the drug osimertinib daily, and the other half received placebos.
88% of patients treated with osimertinib are still alive
The scientists then found a 51% reduction in the risk of death in patients treated with osimertinib compared to the group who received placebos. After 5 years of treatment, 88% of treated patients were still alive, compared to 78% in the control group.
During a press conference, Roy Herbst, co-author of the study and oncologist at Yale University, said that this treatment allows “to prevent the spread of disease to the brain, liver and bones”And “that about a third of cases of ‘non-small cell’ cancers can be operated on when they are detected”. However, it is necessary to screen patients upstream, to detect the EGF receptor mutation. “Otherwise we cannot use this new treatment (…) osimertinib, which targets this receptor, causes side effects (extreme fatigue, skin redness, diarrhea”he warned.
