SCIENTISTS think they have found the best lung cancer drug ever and say it could add years to the lives of patients dying from the disease. Trials found lorlatinib stopped tumours in their tracks even if they had spread to the brain . 1 A drug has been found that can help in the treatment of cancer Credit: Getty On average patients survived five years without their cancer getting worse, compared to just nine months on standard medication.
Most are still alive years after doctors expected them to die. The drug, used to treat ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer, is already available for a handful of specific patients through the NHS. Campaigners hope the “groundbreaking” results will see it become a lifeline for all of the 350 Brits who get this type of cancer each year.
Study author Dr Benjamin Solomon, from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, said: “The progression-free survival benefit is the longest ever reported in this type of cancer and, to our knowledge, of any targeted therapy in lung cancer to date.” Dr David Spigel, from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, added: “These results are off the chart. “We just haven’t seen results like that in oncology often, much less in non-small cell lung cancer .
“These are among the best results we’ve seen in advanced disease in any setting, it’s really a major step forward in lung cancer care.” Most read in Health MOUR TO GIVE Jose Mourinho 'agrees shock return to management' with Europea.
