In a nutshell This trial treated patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with consolidative radiation therapy after chemotherapy. The authors concluded that this treatment plan has potential to improve progression free survival and overall survival in these patients. Some background Initial treatment with...
Read MoreType of lung cancer-Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) Posts on Medivizor
The effect of pembrolizumab on patient health and quality of life
In a nutshell This study examined the effect of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) on the health and quality of life of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. The study concluded that treatment with pembrolizumab was better for patient health than treatment with chemotherapy. Some background Many tumor cells have a protein called PD-L1 which stops the immune...
Read MoreNew targeted therapies have potential to improve overall survival for patients with EGFR-mutation positive NSCLC
In a nutshell This study compared dacomitinib (PF-00299804) to gefitinib (Iressa) as a first treatment for patients with EGFR-mutation positive non-small-cell lung cancer. The authors concluded that treatment with dacomitinib provided an improved overall survival compared to gefitinib. Some background Current cancer therapy heavily...
Read MoreComparing targeted therapy to chemotherapy for patients with advanced NSCLC
In a nutshell This trial compared the effectiveness of alectinib (Alecensa) against chemotherapy for treating patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer that have progressed passed previous targeted therapy. The authors determined that alectinib was more effective than chemotherapy at treating this subgroup of patients. Some background Lung...
Read MoreUsing targeted therapy to manage lung cancer disease symptoms
In a nutshell This study looked at the targeted therapy osimertinib (Targrisso) and its effectiveness at managing disease symptoms in patients with lung cancer. The study concluded that osimertinib was more effective than chemotherapy at improving disease symptoms in these patients. Some background New anti-cancer drugs target specific genetic...
Read MoreDoes a medication used to treat diabetes have anti-cancer potential?
In a nutshell This study looked at the anticancer effect of metformin (Glucophage), a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes. The authors concluded that metformin in combination with current cancer therapies such as chemotherapy improved progression free survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Some background Patients with...
Read MoreIs targeted therapy better at treating advanced NSCLC than current chemotherapy treatment?
In a nutshell This study examined the effectiveness of the targeted therapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo) at treating advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, particularly for patients with cancer that has spread to the liver. The authors concluded that nivolumab led to an improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy for these patients. Some background...
Read MoreThe socioeconomic impact of cachexia in elderly patients with advanced lung cancer
In a nutshell This study looked at the impact of cachexia (weakness or wasting of the body) in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer on disability, hospitalization and medical costs. The authors concluded that patients with cachexia had a higher risk of disability, longer hospital stays and higher medical costs, while being treated...
Read MoreCombining the old and the new – Can combination therapy improve cancer treatment?
In a nutshell This study looked at combining therapies designed to stimulate the immune system with chemotherapy to treat patients with advanced lung cancer. The authors concluded that a combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy is effective and tolerable at treating these patients. Some background Many tumor cells have proteins...
Read MoreIs there a benefit in combining radiation treatments for patients with limited brain metastases?
In a nutshell This study examined the effectiveness of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) at treating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread to the brain. The trial focused on patients with few brain metastases (tumors that spread) and combined WBRT with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). The authors concluded that they did not find a...
Read MoreCan acupuncture improve fatigue during cancer treatment?
In a nutshell This study looked at whether acupuncture could improve cancer related fatigue for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors concluded that acupuncture is safe and may be beneficial at improving fatigue in these patients during their treatment regimes. Some background Fatigue is one of the most common side effects...
Read MoreComparing targeted therapies for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
In a nutshell The authors aimed to understand the effectiveness of anti-PD-L1 therapy in patients with previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to current treatments. The authors concluded that anti-PD-L1 therapy could be more beneficial than the chemotherapy drug docetaxel (Taxotere) at treating patients with previously treated...
Read More
