According to clinical trial results presented at the annual conference of cancer specialists hosted by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, a daily pill has demonstrated the ability to reduce the risk of death by half in a specific type of lung cancer after surgery. Developed by AstraZeneca and marketed as Tagrisso, the medication, known as osimertinib, targets a specific mutation found in non-small cell lung cancer patients. This mutation, affecting 10 to 25 percent of patients in the United States and Europe, and 30 to 40 percent in Asia, occurs on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The clinical trial involved over 680 participants across multiple countries, all in the early stages of the disease (stages 1b to 3a). Half of the participants received the treatment, while the other half received a placebo. The results revealed that the treated group experienced a 51 percent reduction in the risk of death compared to the placebo group. After five years, 88 percent of patients who took osimertinib were still alive, compared to 78 percent in the placebo group. The findings were deemed “impressive” by experts in the field and emphasized the importance of personalized therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Osimertinib, which is already approved in many countries for various indications, has shown significant benefits in terms of disease-free survival and is now supported by data on overall survival. However, it is essential to screen patients for the EGFR mutation before considering this treatment, and it may cause side effects such as severe fatigue, skin rashes, or diarrhea.
