King City, CA : Lung Cancer Drug Expedited Through FDA Process Using Gene Therapy : View From A Private Duty Caregiver
Article by Richard Kuehn
King City, CA : Lung Cancer Drug Expedited Through FDA Process Using Gene Therapy : View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Castroville, Gilroy, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside And Soledad California
I wrote recently on my blog about an exciting new breakthrough where researchers can use what they are calling “personalized medicine” to find patients which have a specific genetic mutation and treat only those with drugs which attack the cancerous cells. The first drug approved was a skin-cancer treatment which the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved last week. They were so excited about the potential that it was hurried through the approval process–it had only been submitted in May for approval. It was announced on August 26 that another drug was whisked through the system, this one to treat lung cancer. The twice per day pill treatment produced by Pfizer (Xalkori) was approved to treat a small subset of non-small cell lung cancer patients, less than 7 percent, who have an abnormal gene that stimulates cancer cells and causes tumor growth. It works by blocking proteins produced by the gene. “It’s another example of how we’re using molecular medicine to subtype lung cancer into more specific and treatable diseases,” said Dr. Roy Herbst, a lung cancer expert who is chief of medical oncology at Yale University. The FDA said it also approved a genetic test made by Abbott Labaoratories to screen for the mutation, known as an abnormal anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene. “It’s pretty exciting,” said Dr. David Carbone, a lung cancer specialist at Vanderbilt University, one of the sites that tested the drug. Only a small share of lung cancer patients have the gene mutation this drug targets, “but for those people it makes a huge difference,” he said. The FDA expedited approval after Pfizer released data in June showing that 88 percent of patients in one study saw their tumors shrink at least somewhat after one year on Xalkori. In a second study, 54 percent of patients had their tumors shrink by about a third or more and 83 percent had tumors shrink somewhat. Although some may scoff at the fact that it can be used on less than 7% of those diagnosed, you wouldn’t be skeptical if you were in that group. The news is exciting for seniors because these drugs are pill-based and don’t require the use of extended chemotherapy treatments. These are extremely draining and some seniors just can’t tolerate aggressive therapies like this. There are more drugs just over the horizon that the FDA is expected to push through the expedited approval process, a blessing for those suffering from a treatable form of cancer with this type of pill-based therapy.http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=carmel-ca-skin-cancer-lunghttp://www.montereyherald.com/health/ci_18765376
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
About the Author
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog