New drug against melanoma suggest that researchers have found.Have an effect even in advanced disease.
Melanoma is on the rise. There were 68,000 new cases and 8,700 deaths from it in the United States last year.
A new drug that seems to hold a special place in the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, announced on Sunday.
The first phase of the study showed that the drug can successfully overcome the disease, even at an advanced stage.
The drug, vemurafenib, targeted mutation of the gene found in about half of all melanomas.
The second phase examined the effect of the drug to newly diagnosed patients with melanoma and found that nearly doubled the number of years of survival (more than three years).
The new studies were presented Sunday at the annual meeting of oncology at Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The experimental drug, vemurafenib, addressed to a specific gene mutation, which is the first so-called targeted therapy for the disease. The surveys conducted, 70% of people had experienced mutated disease responded successfully.
In this study involving 675 patients worldwide with advanced melanoma and the mutant gene.
Results vemurafenib pills twice a day or infusions (as chemotherapy) every three weeks.
After six months, 84% of people who followed the treatment vemurafenib had a better quality of life and more years, versus 64% other (other treatment).
Less than 10% suffered some side effects, especially in the skin such as rashes, joint pain, fatigue, diarrhea and loss of the dryer.
Approximately 20% to 30% of patients developed a less serious form of skin cancer.
The study continues, and many continue to take medicine.
Within a week or two since the beginning of the drug, there was a significant enough improvement and shrinkage of the cancer.This, say the scientists, that "it was just a miracle."
The study is a landmark, and the results are "very impressive" in people who historically have not gone very well, said Dr. Salama, a specialist at the center of melanoma of Duke University.
LinkWithin
