Iressa, the lung cancer pill, has shown surprising results for patients with advanced lung cancer where it has been at least as effective as a standard chemotherapy treatment, researchers have reported.
The drug also, known as Gefitinib, works as well as chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for lung cancer, according to an international Phase III clinical trial, led by researchers at the University of Texas’ M D Anderson Cancer Center.
However, in contrast to earlier Iressa findings, the study reported on Thursday showed that there was no additional survival benefit for patients who expressed an elevated level of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation.
“A pill, with less side effects, taken once a day, has similar activity to traditional chemotherapy given by vein every three weeks,” said lead researcher Dr Edward Kim, an assistant professor at the M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. This finding should reassure doctors that they are not compromising effective therapy by using a pill, Kim said.
Iressa is not available in the United States, but a similar drug, Tarceva, is. Iressa was first developed by AstraZeneca, but it failed to meet expectations.
The National Cancer Institute ended clinical trials of the drug in 2005 because it failed to prolong the lives of lung cancer patients.
“Based on our findings, I’m hopeful that Iressa can return as a treatment for lung cancer in the United States, offering this some patients a therapy with far fewer side effects,” said Kim.