I wish there had been something for IPF which is progressive scarring of lung tissue. My Dad died of it after a long battle. The doctor even said it's worse than lung cancer at least for that there are treatments.
AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
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Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#22It is about Osimertinib, sold under the brand name Tagrisso. It works (in “statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful” manner) against certain types of lung cancer when administered on early stage. It was provisionally approved after success in phase 1 trial by FDA in 2015 and by EMA in 2016. Side effects: Very common (greater than 10% of clinical trial subjects) adverse effects include diarrhea, stom…
> It works (in “statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful” manner) against certain types of lung cancer when administered on early stage.
What is considered early stage? Pre symptoms?
And what type of success rate are we talking here?
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#23My mom died from lung cancer. It was going to happen, life long smoker.
Dying from LC is a terrible way to go. Your lungs fill with fluid and you slowly drown in your own fluid. The pain meds make you hallucinate terrible thoughts. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
For the benefit of humanity, I hope this treatment works.
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#24My aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and is only alive because of this drug. It’s a marvel of modern medicine.
It feels so good to read a comment like this. Thank you for sharing and I’m really happy for you and your family (and modern medicine that makes it all possible).
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#25My aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and is only alive because of this drug. It’s a marvel of modern medicine.
That is indeed remarkable. Stage 4 lung cancer usually makes you seek out hospice care.
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#26My aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and is only alive because of this drug. It’s a marvel of modern medicine.
Wow, that's incredible. So wholesome reading a comment like this on HN, makes me more hopeful of the future. Thanks for sharing
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#27> Tagrisso earned $5.8bn in sales in 2023 — 13 per cent of AstraZeneca’s total oncology sales — making it the company’s highest earner.
The drug seems to have been approved in 2015-16. If that's the case, why is this announcement of efficacy happening now? A long-term outcome after a short-term tentative approval?
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#28“Statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful” perhaps, but not so much that they can say what that actually means. My understanding is that of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA between 2000-2016 (around 90 drugs), the median life extension was just over 2 months...
Yes, but this isnt as negative as it sounds.
That 2 months average is often driven by more people alive at the end of a 2 year trial.
Also, 16 years of 2 month extensions ends up being quite meaningful.
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#29My mom died from lung cancer. It was going to happen, life long smoker. Dying from LC is a terrible way to go. Your lungs fill with fluid and you slowly drown in your own fluid. The pain meds make you hallucinate terrible thoughts. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. For the benefit of humanity, I hope this treatment works.
Same with my dad in the 80s. His descent was horrible to witness, in my case at the age of 21. I’ll never know the truth, but I think his doctor took pity on him, dad died very shortly after a push of morphine.
Re: AstraZeneca unveils successes in treatment of lung cancer
#30Is there actually some kind of list which shows in a table what kind of cancers are currently treatable by which experimental medicine?