Antitumor drug reduced risk of death from lung cancer
Results of a phase III clinical trial have demonstrated the efficacy of osimertinib for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.A group of researchers led by Yale University presented the results of phase III clinical trials of an antitumor drug developed by AstraZeneca for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. The results showed that taking osimertinib after surgery to remove the tumor reduced the risk of death by 51%.
The latest phase of the trial included 680 patients (ages 30 to 86) from 26 countries. All of them had early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (the most popular form). Participants with a mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene were selected for the study. They were divided into two groups for a randomized, blind, placebo-controlled study. The first received osimertinib and the second received placebo.
The EGFR mutation is present in about a quarter of lung cancer patients worldwide (40% among Asians). This mutation is found in many patients with non-small cell lung cancer, and can be found in people who have never smoked or in those who smoke little.
Study results showed that the drug taken after surgery to remove the tumor reduced patients' risk of death by 51%. Overall, 88% of patients in the group that took osimertinib survived for five years after surgery, while 78% survived in the control (placebo) group. The researchers believe that the results of the trial open up a promising new therapy for patients with lung cancer and EGFR genetic mutations if diagnosed in time.