Taking the drug osimertinib daily after surgery can reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer by 51 percent, scientists have concluded, according to a new decade-long study.
The results of the study – led by Yale University – were presented ahead of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s largest cancer conference, in Chicago.
Lung cancer causes approximately 1.8 million deaths annually, making it one of the leading causes of death in the world.
Dr. Roy Herbst, lead author and deputy director of the Yale Cancer Center, said: “Thirty years ago, there was nothing we could do for these patients. Now we have this powerful drug. 50% is a big deal in any disease. But certainly in a disease like lung cancer, which has generally been very resistant to treatment.”
The trials included people between the ages of 30 and 86 in 26 countries. Researchers looked at whether the pill could help patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease.
Among the study participants were mutations of the EGFR gene – which is found in about a quarter of lung cancer cases globally, and is associated with about 40% of cases in Asia.
The change is thought to be more common in women and in people who have never smoked or are light smokers.
“The sensational results add a lot of weight to preliminary results from the same trial showing that the pill also halves the risk of disease recurrence,” Herbst said, speaking in Chicago.
Herbst noted: “This pill has proven to be practically life-changing and should become the standard of care for a quarter of lung cancer patients worldwide with an EGFR mutation.”
Herbst, who is assistant dean of translational research at the Yale School of Medicine, said some patients in Britain, the United States and other countries “are already able to access this drug but should benefit more.”
They argued that not everyone diagnosed with lung cancer is tested for EGFR mutations, which needs to change in light of the study’s findings.
“This reinforces the need to identify these patients with available biomarkers at the time of diagnosis and before treatment is initiated,” he added.
Participants are alive.
According to the report, “Treatment after surgery with osimertinib, also known as Tagrisso and made by AstraZeneca, significantly reduced the risk of death in lung cancer patients, trial results show. has been told.”
“Adjuvant osimertinib demonstrated an unprecedented, highly statistically significant and clinically relevant overall survival benefit in patients,” the report stated.
The study found that 88 percent of participants who took the daily pill were alive after surgery, compared to 78 percent of patients treated with a placebo.
According to the study, the overall risk of death was 51 percent lower in those who received osimertinib than in those who took a placebo.
The survival benefit was “consistently seen in the analysis of all study subgroups, including those with stage I, stage II and stage III lung cancer.”
Chemotherapy was given to 60% of patients, and the survival benefit of osimertinib was observed regardless of the record of previous chemotherapy.
Dr. Nathan Pennell, an Asco expert who was not involved in the research, noted that “it’s hard to overstate how important this discovery is and how long it took to get here. It’s an unequivocal, very significant improvement in survival.” shows.”
In the trials, 682 patients were women and two-thirds were non-smokers, suggesting that the pill works for both smokers and non-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer.
Angela Terry, chair of EGFR Positive UK, said: “The results were very interesting and very important.”
“The five-year overall survival rate of 88% is incredibly positive news,” he said.
“Having access to a drug with proven efficacy and tolerable side effects means patients can be confident and enjoy a good quality of life for longer.”