One pill reduces the risk of death from a certain form by 50%. cancer lung taken daily after tumor removal surgery according to “impressive” clinical trial results.

These results were presented today in Chicago at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Lung cancer is the type of cancer that kills the most people, about 1.8 million people a year worldwide.

Osimertinib, a drug developed by AstraZeneca (sold under the brand name Tagrisso), targets a specific type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in patients with a specific mutation. This mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF) occurs in 10-25% of patients in the US and Europe and 30-40% in Asia.

What clinical trials have shown

The clinical study involved 680 patients in stages 1b to 3a from 20 countries. The patients first underwent surgery to remove the tumor, then half received the drug, and the rest received a placebo.

Those who took the drug had a 51% lower risk of death compared to those who took the placebo. After five years, 88% of patients who received the drug were still alive, compared with 78% of patients who received placebo.

The numbers are “impressive,” Yale University’s Roy Herbst, who presented the results at the conference, said in a statement. The drug prevents metastases to the brain, liver and bones, he also said at a press conference he gave.

He noted that about a third of these cases of non-small cell lung cancer are operable.

“It’s difficult to assess whether the results are meaningful,” said Nathan Pennell of the Cleveland Clinic, who was not involved in the study. “We have entered an era of individual patient care early on” and “we must close the door to the same treatments for everyone,” he added.

Side effects

Osimertinib is already on the market in dozens of countries and has been prescribed to almost 700,000 people, according to AstraZeneca. In the US, it was approved in 2020 based on earlier evidence that it increases the life expectancy of patients without cancer recurrence. Roy Herbst explained that not all doctors accepted this treatment because they were waiting for the results of a larger study.

He also emphasized the need to screen patients for EGF mutations. “Otherwise, we cannot use this new treatment,” the oncologist emphasized.

Side effects of osimertinib include fatigue, rash, and diarrhea.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}