Lung cancer is extremely hard to detect early due to the limitations of current screening technologies, which are costly, sometimes inaccurate, and less commonly endorsed by healthcare professionals compared to other screening types. Despite smoking being the primary risk factor, up to 20% of lung cancer cases occur in individuals who have never smoked. The prevailing method for lung cancer screening involves low-dose CT (LDCT) scans. These scans are not only expensive but also prone to generating both false positives and negatives, besides exposing patients to radiation. Consequently, merely about 10% of individuals recommended for screening actually undergo regular scans, a stark contrast to the higher participation rates seen with mammography for breast cancer and colonoscopy for colorectal cancer. As such, lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited. Researchers are now developing a new blood test aimed at earlier and more accurate detection ...
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a rapidly progressing neuroendocrine malignancy, exhibits low survival rates. Despite its molecular and clinical heterogeneity, SCLC is presently treated as a single entity, without the use of predictive biomarkers, which leads to poor patient outcomes. Recent research has proposed dividing SCLC into four subtypes—labeled “A”, “N”, “P”, and “I”—each characterized by distinct molecular signatures and treatment vulnerabilities. Initially, this classification relied on gene expression (RNA-seq) data. Further studies indicated that the same categorization could be recapitulated through the use of a reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) methylation profile. Although this classification system effectively predicts treatment responses, including to immunotherapy, in retrospective analyses, both RNAseq and RRBS techniques are too labor-intensive and slow for quick treatment decisions in an aggressive malignancy. Now, a pilot study published in the journal Cancer Cell has demonstrated the feasibility of a simple PCR assay to accurately differentiate between SCLC SCLC subtypes. ...
TMR-CT will help doctors select treatment and predict the spread of lung cancer in patients Imperial College London (ICL) researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify information about the chemical makeup of lung tumours from medical scans of lung cancer. Published in npj Precision Oncology, the study demonstrates, for the first time, how medical imaging in combination with AI can be used to provide ‘virtual biopsies’ for cancer patients. Responsible for around 35,000 deaths each year, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Supported with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, the non-invasive method works to classify the type of lung cancer patients have. Researchers used data from 48 lung cancer patients recruited from University Hospital Reina Sofia in Spain to develop an AI-powered, deep learning assessment tool called tissue-metabolomic-radiomic-CT (TMR-CT). Using the data, researchers ...
February 28, 2024 Davy James NVL-520 is a novel, brain-penetrant, ROS1-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor under evaluation for patients with metastatic ROS1-positive non–small cell lung cancer. Nuvalent, Inc’s novel, brain-penetrant, ROS1-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) NVL-520 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA to treat patients with metastatic ROS1-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received prior therapy with at least two ROS1 TKIs.1 NVL-520 was developed with the intention of addressing treatment challenges that limit the use of current ROS1 TKIs, including treatment resistance, brain metastases, and off-target central nervous system (CNS) adverse events (AEs) that have been linked to inhibiting the structurally-related tropomyosin receptor kinase family.1 “In line with our commitment to bringing new potential best-in-class medicines to patients with cancer as quickly as possible, we are always looking for opportunities to further accelerate our programs,” James Porter, PhD, CEO of Nuvalent, said in a press release. ...
It is shaping up to be a big year for AstraZeneca in lung cancer treatments. Following another approval win for its blockbuster immunotherapy drug Tagrisso (Osimertinib) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), another drug could be on the way later this year. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received prior systemic therapy, as per a 19 February press release. The outcome of the FDA’s decision will only be known later this year, with a Prescription Drug User Free Act (PDUFA) date set for 20 December 2024. AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Dato-DXd is a TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). TROP2 is a protein highly expressed in many types of lung cancers. The drug has demonstrated positive results in the Phase III TROPION-Lung01 ...
Lung cancer continues to be a very deadly disease with only 19% of diagnosed patients remaining alive after five years. This makes it important to accurately detect the different forms of lung cancer, each with its own treatment and approach, at an early stage so that patients can be better treated. Currently, there is a gold standard for determining whether someone has lung cancer. If suspected, the first step is a scan, such as CT or PET CT. That gives insight into where the symptoms may be coming from and the location of possible cancer cells or a tumor. The second step is a biopsy in which a ‘morsel’ of tissue is removed and examined under the microscope. However, evidence of tumor cells cannot always be obtained. Additionally, sometimes people are too old or too sick and the biopsy itself is too risky for their health. Also, sometimes people refuse ...
Gilead Sciences said even though Trodelvy missed the main goal of its Phase 3 test in non-small cell lung cancer, the drug’s preliminary results show numerical improvement in patients whose disease did not respond to prior treatment with immunotherapy. The company plans to discuss with regulators a possible path forward in these patients. By FRANK VINLUAN Sales for Gilead Sciences cancer drug Trodelvy are growing, but the company is counting on additional approvals to boost the product to blockbuster status and justify the premium price it paid to acquire the therapy. The drug’s failure in a pivotal lung cancer study is a setback to that strategy. Treatment with Trodelvy, an antibody drug conjugate (ADC), fell short of a Phase 3 study’s main goal of showing statistically significant improvement in overall survival in patients with advanced cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Gilead announced Monday. Nevertheless, the company pointed to numerical ...
Cancer, particularly lung cancer driven by pollution and smoking, is expected to increasingly afflict populations in low- and middle-income countries. To catch lung cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages, it’s recommended that heavy smokers over 50 years get annual CT scans. Yet, many in this demographic do not undergo these scans, and the high rate of false positives from the scans can lead to unwarranted and invasive follow-up tests. Now, a breakthrough diagnostic method that combines inhaling nanoparticle sensors with a simple urine test can detect the presence of a tumor. This innovative approach, which could potentially replace or complement low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans, could be especially promising for regions with limited access to CT technology. Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA), this new technology is the culmination of a decade’s work on nanosensors aimed at cancer and other diseases diagnosis. These ...
Amgen’s request to gain full approval of Lumakras in non-small cell lung cancer has been rejected by the FDA. The California pharma will now have to conduct an additional confirmatory trial to gain the coveted FDA nod. Lumakras was granted accelerated approval in May 2021 to treat second line KRAS G12C-mutated NSCLC. The company was asked by the FDA to launch a confirmatory trial and a dose optimization study to gain a full approval. The therapy faced an advisory committee meeting in October where a panel was asked to consider whether the primary endpoint for the phase 3 CodeBreak 200 trial could be reliably interpreted in Amgen’s study. The committee voted 10-2 against the measure, suggesting that they were unimpressed with Amgen’s trial design. Despite the negative vote, the agency was not expected to remove Lumakras from the market, but instead request another confirmatory trial. Amgen now says that’s exactly ...
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