Canada Global(Web News) A study has found that a pill used for lung cancer can reduce the risk of recurrence of the disease and death within five years.
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists tested 682 people over three years. 339 people were given osimertinib and 343 people were given a placebo. According to the study, those given the drug had an 85 percent chance of disease recurrence and a halved chance of dying within five years of treatment. The drug, which has been approved by the US drug chief, will be given to patients suffering from a genetic subtype of lung tumors, cancer experts have said.
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These tumors are caused by a genetic mutation. These mutations release a protein called EGFR and help tumors grow. But osimertinib blocks the signal from the gene to make the protein and kill cancer cells. Dr. Faiz Bhoora, from Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, called the results of the drug trial “very important,” he said. While in the past medical experts were happy with a five or 10 percent cancer survival rate, now experts are talking about a 50 percent improvement in that rate.
