Huge Cancer Survival Boost: Oncologists Announce ‘Major Advance’ With 2 New Drugs

Two New Drugs Show Unprecedented Results in Boosting Cancer Survival Rates

Recent studies have revealed that two new drugs, osimertinib and ribociclib, represent a major advance in the treatment of terminal cancer. These groundbreaking drugs have shown significant increases in survival rates for patients with lung and breast cancer, respectively.

The studies were presented at this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, garnering much excitement and hope within the medical community.

According to Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, both osimertinib and ribociclib represent new progress in the development of targeted therapies. These therapies have been a major breakthrough in treating deadly cancers.

“Osimertinib targets an abnormal protein on the surface of some cancers, specifically lung cancer, and targets it for destruction. Ribociclib, on the other hand, targets abnormal growth hormones in breast cancer and is being used earlier in the treatment process to boost survival,” explained Dr. Siegel.

The osimertinib study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 4, demonstrated remarkable results. The drug increased 5-year survival rates to 88 percent, compared to 78 percent for those who received a placebo treatment. In patients with more advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, the difference was even more significant, with survival rates of 85 percent versus 73 percent.

The study concluded that osimertinib offered a significant overall survival benefit in preventing the recurrence of lung cancer for patients who had undergone surgery to remove the cancer. In fact, the mortality rate was 51% lower for those who took the drug.

A second study focused on ribociclib and its impact on breast cancer. The results, presented at the same conference on June 2, revealed that adding ribociclib to hormonal therapy reduced the recurrence rate by an impressive 25% for patients with hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer.

The study involved 5,101 men and women with breast cancer who were receiving hormonal therapy over three years. Only 7.4 percent of those who received ribociclib experienced a cancer recurrence, compared to 9.2 percent of those who received hormonal therapy alone.

Lead investigator Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, medical oncologist at UCLA Health, emphasized the potential efficacy improvement these findings could bring for patients with this subtype of breast cancer. The results were consistent across various subgroups, providing further confidence in their validity.

While these results are still in the early stages, they hold great promise for the future of cancer treatment. Rita Nanda, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, expressed her optimism, stating, “While early, these results are very promising.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that over 300,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, with approximately 43,700 deaths from the disease. These new drugs offer hope for improved survival rates and a brighter future for cancer patients.

Source: The Western Journal

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