Clinical Trials Show Pill Halves Risk of Dying from Lung Cancer After Surgery

Scientists report the success of clinical trials of a pill that halved the risk of dying from a form of lung cancer when taken once a day after surgery to remove a tumor.

The results of the third phase of the trials, which were presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, Sunday, revealed that taking the drug Osimertinib and its brand name “Tagriso” significantly reduced the risk of death in patients in the early stages of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ), which is the most common form of the disease, with a rate of 51 percent.

Susan Galbraith, from the research and development department of the drug giant, AstraZeneca, said that these results confirm the importance of diagnosing lung cancer patients early. According to a company statement.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. According mayo clinicSmokers are more likely to get it, and it can also affect people who have never smoked. This type of cancer usually does not cause signs and symptoms in its early stages. Signs usually appear as the disease progresses.

The new study included patients between the ages of 30 and 86 in 26 countries who had a mutation in the EGFR gene, which is found in about a quarter of lung cancer cases worldwide. This mutation is more common in women than in men, and in people who have never smoked or smoked a lot.

and produces gene A protein on the surface of cells that helps them grow and divide. Some non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells contain too much of this protein, causing them to grow faster than normal.

Dr. Roy Herbst, deputy director of the Yale Cancer Center and lead author of the study, said Guardian“Thirty years ago, there was nothing we could do for these patients. Now we have this effective medicine.” He added that “50 percent is a significant proportion in any disease, and certainly in lung cancer, which is usually very resistant to treatments.”

He considered that the findings would be a game-changer for the quarter of lung cancer patients worldwide with an EGFR mutation.

He explained that a number of patients in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries are already able to access the drug, indicating the need for it to reach other regions.