Lung Cancer - Emerging Treatments
Since 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have had the ability to grant "fast track status" to drugs that may:
treat serious or life-threatening diseases,
address an unmet medical need, and/or
Have the potential to advance the treatment for a serious illness.
These so called "fast track drugs" are currently only available to patients enrolled in clinical trials.
Alimta
Brand/trade name: Alimta
Generic drug name: pemetrexed
Manufactured by: Eli Lilly and Co.
FDA Approved: August 2004
In August 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Alimta for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have previously received chemotherapy.
In clinical trials, Alimta was shown to shrink tumours as effectively as docetaxel/Taxotere, which is the standard current therapy for recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Alimta did so with fewer side effects.
According to results from the clinical trials, patients treated with Alimta were less likely to suffer from fever and infections caused by low levels of white blood cells. These Alimta patients also suffered less hair loss and less numbness in their arms and legs.
In addition, they were also less likely to be hospitalized with fever or other side effects. The average survival for patients treated with Alimta was 8.3 months, compared with 7.9 months for patients treated with docetaxel.
Iressa
Brand/trade name: Iressa
Generic drug name: gefitinib
Manufactured by: AstraZeneca
FDA Approved: May 2003
In May 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Iressa for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which has continued to progress despite chemotherapy treatment. In clinical trial with 261 patients with NSCLC, 10% of Iressa patients had positive response rate (defined as at least 50 percent tumour shrinkage lasting at least one month). Clearly, further trials are required.
Targeted therapies are a new class of cancer treatments, which now include Iressa, Tarceva, and Erbitux. These treatments are designed to block a particular protein, the epidermal growth factor receptor that aids the growth and development of cancer cells. These new drugs tend to have fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy.
In the clinical trial, the most common side effects for Iressa patients were nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, acne, and dry skin. In addition, some patients taking Iressa developed interstitial lung disease (ILD), a serious and life-threatening lung disease. Some evidence suggests that Iressa may cause foetal harm when administered to pregnant women. Further research is required.
Tarceva
Brand/trade name: Tarceva
Generic drug name: erlotinib
Manufactured by: OSI Pharmaceuticals and Genentech Inc.
FDA Approved: November 2004
In November 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tarceva for the management of patients presenting with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of at least one previous chemotherapy regimen.
In a clinical trial with 731 patients, the drug was shown to extend life by approximately two months, from an average of 4.7 months among those who took a placebo to 6.7 months.
Targeted therapies are a new class of cancer treatments, which now include Iressa, Tarceva, and Erbitux. These treatments are designed to block a particular protein, the epidermal growth factor receptor, which aids the growth and development of cancer cells. These new drugs tend to have fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy.
In the clinical trial, the most common side effects for Tarceva patients were rash and diarrhoea. In addition, some patients taking Iressa developed interstitial lung disease (ILD), a serious and life-threatening lung disease.
In addition to the above drugs, the following drugs have been granted a "fast track" designation by the FDA, but have not yet been approved:
BLP25 liposome vaccine (L-BLP25)
Telcyta (TLK286)
TTS CD3
Xyotax (CT-2103)
Xcytrin (motexafin gadolinium)
Clearly further research is required. However, some small and large breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer are continually being researched, trialled, and developed.
Lung Cancer - Overview
Lung Cancer is a type of cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. Many lung cancers begin in the bronchi though others can start in other parts of the lungs. Lung cancer also has a tendency to form in the glands below the bronchi.
Lung Cancer - Probabilities
Lung cancer causes up to 30% of all cancer related deaths, and it is the 2nd leading cause of death among both men and women in western society. 85% of all lung cancers are caused by a person's smoking habit or just by breathing in the second-hand smoke of others.
Lung Cancer - Screening
At this moment in time, there is no particularly useful single test that can be considered 100% reliable for the early detection of lung cancer. Unfortunately unless someone is undergoing a health screen for something completely unrelated, lung cancer is very often only discovered in the later stages of the disease when it is often too late to do anything but offer palliative treatment.
Lung Cancer - Symptoms
The most common indicators and symptoms of lung cancer include the following: Fatigue Shortness of breath and wheezing (dyspnoea) A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis Constant chest pain Coughing up blood (bloody sputum) (haemoptysis) Swelling of the neck and face Fever Loss of appetite and Weight loss (anorexia) Hoarse voice
Lung Cancer Treatment Options - Radiation
In many cases of lung cancer, surgery is not an option. This may be because of the advanced stage of the cancer, the location of the tumor or tumors, or because of the overall general health of the patient. In those cases, the oncologist may suggest radiation therapy to treat lung cancer. Even if surgery is an option, the doctor may suggest irradiation either before therapy to shrink the tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Lung Cancer - Trends by Ethnicity, Sex and Race
In the USA and many other western countries, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Lung cancer has been found to be the leading cancer killer among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic males.