Two new cancer pills show ‘unprecedented’ results in boosting survival rates and preventing recurren

[Kamaji]

Two new cancer pills show ‘unprecedented’ results in boosting survival rates and preventing recurrence

By Melissa Rudy, Fox News
June 7, 2023

Potentially “practice-changing” results from two new cancer drug studies were introduced at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s annual meeting this week in Chicago.

For lung cancer patients, a drug called osimertinib — taken by pill once daily — was shown to reduce the risk of deaths by more than 50% in a long-running international study.

For breast cancer patients, a new drug called ribociclib significantly increased survival rates and prevented recurring disease in a separate study.

“Targeted therapies have been a major advance in treating deadly cancers,” Dr. Marc Siegel, professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.

“Osimertinib targets an abnormal protein on the surface of some cancers (in this case lung) and targets it for destruction,” he explained. “Ribociclib targets abnormal growth hormones in breast cancer, and is being used earlier in the treatment process to boost survival.”

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/06/07/two-new-cancer-pills-show-unprecedented-results-in-boosting-survival-rates-and-preventing-recurrence/

[Polly Ticks]

Encouraging news.

[Gefn]

Good news for those who need it who are still here.

Bad news for those who have left.

[bigheadfred]

“Osimertinib targets an abnormal protein on the surface of some cancers (in this case lung) and targets it for destruction,” he explained.

It doesn't make it clear, but this sounds like this targets the protein mask the cancer cell hides behind and destroys that. But not what actually kills the cancer cell.

I read an article years ago where Italian doctors had developed a drug that did the same thing - destroyed the protein mask and that allowed the immune system to target the cancer cell for death. I never saw where that drug went anywhere and may have been suppressed. It worked on all cancers. This sounds like the same type of drug.

[Kamaji]

It doesn't make it clear, but this sounds like this targets the protein mask the cancer cell hides behind and destroys that. But not what actually kills the cancer cell.

I read an article years ago where Italian doctors had developed a drug that did the same thing - destroyed the protein mask and that allowed the immune system to target the cancer cell for death. I never saw where that drug went anywhere and may have been suppressed. It worked on all cancers. This sounds like the same type of drug.

There are a number of new drugs that go after cancer.  A member of my family had stage 4 lung cancer which had spread to his brain and liver.  He was prescribed tagrisso - the brand name for Osimertinib  - and the original lung tumor disappeared.  It's been five years now since his diagnosis, and he's still kicking around; however, the cancer that metastasized into his liver has proven to be very tenacious and he's done several rounds of chemotherapy as well.