A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has shown promising results for a new type of cancer therapy. The therapy, known as a targeted therapy, uses drugs that specifically target the genetic mutations that drive the growth of cancer cells.

Traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often associated with serious side effects because they damage healthy cells along with cancer cells. Targeted therapies, on the other hand, are designed to be more precise and have fewer side effects.

The new study focused on a targeted therapy called larotrectinib, which is designed to treat cancers that have a specific genetic mutation called NTRK fusion. NTRK fusion is a rare but important genetic alteration that is found in a variety of cancers, including certain types of lung, colon, and breast cancer.

The study included 55 patients with NTRK fusion-positive cancer who were treated with larotrectinib. The patients had a variety of cancer types, including lung, colon, and salivary gland cancer. The researchers found that 75% of the patients had a partial or complete response to the treatment, meaning that their tumors either shrank or disappeared entirely.

The response rate was particularly high in patients with salivary gland cancer, with 86% of patients experiencing a response to the treatment. The response rate was also high in patients with other types of cancer, including lung and colon cancer.

The researchers also found that the treatment was generally well-tolerated, with few serious side effects. The most common side effects were fatigue, dizziness, and nausea.

The study's lead author, Dr. David Hong, said that the results were "impressive" and showed that larotrectinib was a "game-changing" treatment for patients with NTRK fusion-positive cancer.

"This is a cancer therapy that is targeted specifically to the genetic mutation that is driving the growth of the cancer," Dr. Hong said. "It's a new paradigm in cancer treatment."

The study has important implications for cancer treatment because it shows that targeted therapies can be effective even in patients with rare genetic mutations. In the past, drugs that targeted rare mutations were often not developed because they were not considered economically viable. But with advances in genetic testing, it is now possible to identify patients with rare mutations and develop targeted therapies that can benefit them.

Dr. Hong said that larotrectinib is just the beginning of a new era in cancer treatment, in which targeted therapies will play an increasingly important role.

"There are many other genetic mutations that are driving cancer growth that we can target with drugs," he said. "The future of cancer treatment is very exciting."

Reference: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies