Can this therapy cure a previously incurable form of lung cancer?

Physicians achieve breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer

Existing cancer treatment may be used in the future for the treatment of a common form of lung cancer for which no specific therapy is currently available. Researchers have now found that such treatment blocks cell growth in a subtype of lung cancer.

The researchers from the University of Glasgow found in their current research that an existing cancer treatment method appears to be effective in a common form of lung cancer. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "Science Translational Medicine".

Painful cough may indicate lung cancer, but usually at the later stage of the disease. (Image: blueringmedia / fotolia.com)

Combination with other therapies could help sufferers

The current results have raised hopes among experts that a large number of patients could benefit from the treatment when used in combination with additional therapies. Perhaps such a treatment can be used in the near future for use in patients, as it is already approved for the treatment of other cancers, the researchers explain.

Every year millions of people die of lung cancer

Lung cancer kills more than 1.5 million people each year worldwide. In the current study, the researchers examined the so-called adenocarcinoma, the largest subtype of lung cancer. One-third of adenocarcinoma carcinomas carry a mutated gene called KRAS, which, according to the medical community, requires the activity of one of the four EGFR / ERBB growth factor receptors to drive cell proliferation.

EGFR inhibitor of the second generation prevents formation of tumors

There are currently no KRAS-inhibiting drugs to treat these cancers, and the first-generation EGFR drugs have shown no benefit for this form of cancer, the authors explain. However, the scientists found that, in contrast to first generation EGFR inhibitors, a second generation EGFR inhibitor (a multi-ERBB inhibitor) blocked the proliferation of KRAS-mutant lung cancer cells in laboratory studies and the formation of KRAS-induced lung cancer tumors in mice prevented.

Are new treatments available in the near future??

There is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies for more effective treatment of KRAS-driven lung cancer, study author Dr. Daniel Murphy from the University of Glasgow. The results of the current investigation are a promising breakthrough, which will hopefully be used by patients in the near future, adds the physician.

Combined treatment led to significant prolongation of life expectancy

The inhibitor, a multi-ERBB inhibitor studied by the experts, helped to sensitize tumors. This has been of therapeutic benefit when used in combination with another anticancer drug called trametinib, which has led to a significant increase in lifespan, the researchers report.

It can come to unwanted side effects

Based on the latest findings, physicians now hope that lung cancer patients with KRAS-assisted lung cancer can benefit from the inclusion of this inhibitor in their treatment plan in the future. Undesirable side effects of these drugs on normal tissue remain a problem, but new strategies to limit the delivery of these drugs to the site of the tumor could reduce such side effects and greatly enhance the usefulness of this class of therapeutics, the authors of the study explain.

Further research is needed

Further studies are now needed to find out if such a treatment is effective in humans and what side effects they can cause. New and improved ways to treat lung cancer are urgently needed, explain the physicians.

Cancer cases could increase by 80 percent by 2035

A separate study, published Thursday by Cancer Research UK, predicts that by 2035, the number of elderly cancer patients could increase by 80 percent. It has been estimated that around 130,000 Britons aged 75 years old suffer from cancer each year. In 2035, this number is expected to increase to 234,000 people per year, mainly due to an aging population, the experts explain. (As)