Guiding Lasers To Their Target Aug 7, 2008
24, 2004) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned from AstraZeneca that a large clinical trial comparing Iressa (gefitinib) with placebo in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had failed. (June 30, 2004) University of Michigan researchers recently produced what is believed to be the highest-intensity laser pulse ever obtained. (Science Daily)
Gene Panel Predicts Lung Cancer Survival, Study Finds Jul 25, 2008
24, 2004) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned from AstraZeneca that a large clinical trial comparing Iressa (gefitinib) with placebo in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had failed. . (Science Daily)
Report says clinicians should consider economic impact of new interventions Jul 2, 2008
They include magnetic resonance imaging screening for breast cancer, which at $1,000 per image is ten times the cost of screening mammography; $1,800 for a positron emission tomography (PET) scan for cancer staging; $48,000 per patient per year for the use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer; $50,000 per patient per year for trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the treatment of HER-2positive breast cancer; $1,800 per month for gefitinib (Iressa) for the treatment of lung... (EurekAlert!)
Overcoming Resistance To A Cancer Drug Jun 25, 2008
New insight into the mechanisms of tumor resistance to a drug known as gefitinib, which targets EGFR, has now been provided by a team of researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, and Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown ... The team, led by Carlos Arteaga and Jeffrey Engelman, generated cancer cells resistant to the effects of gefitinib and found that these cells were constantly sending signals from a protein on their surface known as IGF1R. This meant... (Science Daily)
Determining genetic signature of lung tumors can help guide treatment May 21, 2008
While the study led by Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center investigators found that upfront gefitinib (Iressa) treatment considerably improved the outcomes for non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC), additional research is required before such a strategy can be used for routine treatment planning. The report appears in the May 20 Journal of Clinical Oncology. (EurekAlert!)
Iressa shows promise for treatment of metastatic breast cancer when combined with hormonal therapy May 17, 2008
HOUSTON - Gefitinib, the once-promising drug formerly approved as a second line treatment for lung cancer, also known as Iressa, enhanced the effectiveness of hormonal therapy for the treatment of specific types of metastatic breast cancer, according to a Phase II clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. These findings are surprising and represent the first positive study for Iressa in breast cancer, as well as for the entire class of drugs known... (EurekAlert!)
Hana Biosciences Commences Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Topical Menadione for Treatment and/or Prevention of EGFR Inhibitor-Associated Skin Rash Apr 7, 2008
There are currently four approved EGFRIs on the market: cetuximab (Erbitux(r); Bristol-Myers Squibb/Imclone), panitumumab (Vectibix(tm); Amgen), erlotinib (Tarceva(r); Genentech/OSI Pharmaceuticals), and gefitinib (Iressa(r); AstraZeneca). For Hana's Phase 1 study, there are no restrictions on the brand of EGFRIs administered to patients. (Primezone Releases)
Drug Study For Brain Cancer Shows Promising Results Dec 15, 2007
24, 2004) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned from AstraZeneca that a large clinical trial comparing Iressa (gefitinib) with placebo in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had failed. (Jun. (Science Daily)
Mechanism Of Action Of EGFR Inhibitors in Cancer Chemotherapy Nov 2, 2007
Inhibitors of EGFR such as gefitinib are used in the treatment of these cancers, particularly non-small cell lung cancers which have mutations within the EGFR gene ... The three independent studies with lead authors William Pao from Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, Andreas Strasser from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Australia, and Susumu Kobayashi from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, each investigated this pathway and show that that one protein, BIM, a member of a class of... (Science Daily)
Ways To Teach Approved Drugs New Tricks: How To Combat Cancer Oct 30, 2007
25, 2005) Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have found an explanation for why some lung cancers stop responding to the drugs erlotinib (TarcevaTM) and gefitinib (Iressa). This. (Science Daily)
New Biomarkers Classify Outcomes of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers Jun 9, 2007
In one study, a team of international researchers developed an algorithm to predict the outcomes of NSCLC patients treated with two tyrosine kinase inhibitors -- gefitinib and erlotinib. The algorithm is based on the pattern of a group of proteins in a patient's blood serum. (MEDLINEplus)
Biodesix, Inc. Announces Breakthrough In Molecular Diagnostics For Lung Cancer Jun 8, 2007
In the study published today in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1), a diagnostic from Biodesix was able to separate patients into groups with statistically different prognoses when receiving second-line treatment using inhibitors to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) such as gefitinib (Iressa, AstraZeneca) and erlotinib (Tarceva, OSI/Genentech/Roche). Biodesix's product, VeriStrat, is a simple blood test, and is the first mass spectrometry diagnostic... (PR Newswire)
New Algorithms Classify Outcomes Of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Patients Jun 7, 2007
D., of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, developed an algorithm to predict the outcomes of NSCLC patients treated with the drugs gefitinib and erlotinib, two tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The algorithm places patients into categories indicating "good" or "poor" survival before treatment with one of the drugs and is based on the pattern of a group of proteins in the patient's blood serum. (Science Daily)
Pre-treatment Blood Test Could Guide Lung Cancer Therapy Jun 7, 2007
In the case of the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva), studies have demonstrated a survival benefit for 30 to 40 percent of lung cancer patients, but there has been no method for identifying these patients prior to treatment, Carbone said ... Using mass spectrometry, the researchers analyzed pre-treatment blood samples from 139 patients who had been treated with gefitinib (three patient cohorts in Italy and Japan), identified a pattern of... (Science Daily)
New Study Shows Doxorubicin Plus Paclitaxel Followed by Weekly Paclitaxel as Adjuvant Therapy for High Risk Breast Cancer Warranted in Place of Doxorubicin Plus Cyclophosphamide Followed by Paclitaxel Jun 5, 2007
D.: Phase II study of eribulin mesylate (E7389) halichondrin b analog in patients with refractory breast cancer -- Alexander Spira, M.D.: Phase II study of eribulin mesylate (E7389), a mechanistically novel inhibitor of microtubule dynamics, in patients with advanced Non-Small Cell-Lung Cancer (NSCLC) -- John Pippen, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.P.: "A Historical Overview of the Treatment of Prostate Cancer and the Evolution of Bone Marrow Transplantation" -- Marcus Neubauer, M.D., Co-Chair: Lung Cancer... (PR Newswire)
Telik Announces Top-Line Results of TELCYTA(R) ASSIST-2 Trial Jun 4, 2007
June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Telik, Inc. (Nasdaq: ) announced top-line results from the ASSIST-2 Phase 3 study of TELCYTA (canfosfamide HCl, TLK286) versus gefitinib in the third-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ... Two hundred sixty-five patients were randomized to TELCYTA treatment and 265 patients were randomized to gefitinib ... The trial did not meet the primary endpoint of demonstrating superiority in overall survival or the secondary endpoint of demonstrating... (PR Newswire)
Combination Treatment Stymies Breast Cancer Growth May 8, 2007
Adding two other experimental drugs -- gefitinib and pertuzumab -- that inhibit HER-2 in different ways can more completely block the growth signals in the tumor, causing it to die. In one of the tumors studied in this report, blocking the stimulatory effects of estrogen on the tumor was also necessary for optimal treatment, said Schiff. (Science Daily)
Drug Combination Helps Certain Breast Cancer Cases May 4, 2007
The third drug was gefitinib, sold by AstraZeneca under the brand name Iressa. All the drugs are monoclonal antibodies -- engineered human immune system proteins precisely designed to attack certain aspects of tumors. (MEDLINEplus)
Tamoxifen Protects Certain Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer May 4, 2007
The team added two cancer drugs, gefitinib and pertuzumab, to Herceptin (trastuzumab) to help slow the growth of tumors with higher levels of a protein called HER-2. Herceptin was designed to block HER-2 but proved much more effective with the addition of the other two agents, the researchers found. (MEDLINEplus)
Scientists Spot Mechanism Behind Lung Cancer Drug Resistance Apr 29, 2007
Doctors often resort to drugs such as Iressa (gefitinib) and Tarceva (erlotinib) to treat advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. These agents work by blocking epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a molecule lying on the surface of cancer cells. (MEDLINEplus)
Ireland Cancer Center researchers advance lung cancer treatment Apr 24, 2007
Dr. Patrick Ma and his research team have identified a unique genetic mutation in the receptor protein EGFR that desensitizes the response to Tarceva (erlotinib) but yet differentially sensitized the response to another medication, Iressa (gefitinib), further. The mutation was initially identified in one of Dr. Ma's patients who responded dramatically to Iressa prescribed for her terminal complication from her lung cancer metastatic to the spinal cord (leptomeningeal metastasis), a case that was... (EurekAlert!)
How Some Molecules Inhibit Growth Of Lung Cancer Cells Mar 15, 2007
"We now see that inhibitors such as gefitinib actually bind more tightly to some of the cancer-causing mutants, even though they were originally developed to block the normal receptor." ... They found that two inhibitors -- the drug gefitinib (marketed as Iressa(R), and a compound called AEE788 -- bind especially tightly to one of the mutated forms, meaning these inhibitors are potentially more effective at blocking the growth of cancer cells containing that mutation ... In the case of... (Science Daily)
Lung Cancer-derived EGFR Mutants Exhibit Intrinsic Differences In Inhibitor Sensitivity Mar 14, 2007
Structural examination of the inhibitor complexes, which included the drug gefitinib (Iressa), revealed that the mutations can affect the way the inhibitors interact with the enzyme. Interestingly, the inhibitors gefitinib and AEE788 bind much more tightly to the L858R mutant than to the wild-type EGFR. This finding explains the observation that tumors bearing this mutation have been found to be more responsive to treatment with gefitinib. (Science Daily)
Lung Cancer Risk for Never-Smokers Higher for Women than Men Feb 10, 2007
Patients who never smoked are significantly more likely to respond well to drugs that target the epidermal growth factor receptor, such as Iressa (gefitinib) and Tarceva (erlotinib). Regardless of therapy, never-smokers with non-small-cell lung cancer have a modest survival benefit compared with smokers. (MedPage Today)
New Protein Inhibitor Impedes Growth Of Cancerous Cells Feb 10, 2007
Researchers have developed a small-molecule inhibitor of a protein that plays key roles in the control of cell division, and they show that the inhibitor can halt the growth of tumors in mice and cancer-derived cells growing in culture. The findings are reported in companion papers reported by two collaborating groups--one (Lenart et al.) led by Jan-Michael Peters of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, and the other (Steegmaier et al.) led by Norbert Kraut of Boehringer... (Science Daily)
Targeted Cancer Drugs May Work By Disrupting Balance Of Cellular Signals Dec 30, 2006
Drugs that have been specifically designed to interfere with the activity of these kinases -- Gleevec targets the BCR-ABL protein and both Tarceva and Iressa (gefitinib) inhibit EGFR activity -- have been very successful in limited numbers of patients. But as yet researchers have not understood the molecular mechanism underlying these drugs' activity, information that might expand their usefulness to a broader patient population and address problems of resistance that can develop. (Science Daily)
Cancer drug side effect caused by cell 'pump' problem Dec 6, 2006
However, mutant ABCG2 can be less efficient at pushing gefitinib out of cells in the intestine, the researchers noted ... "Gefitinib represents a new type of treatment called targeted therapy, which researchers hoped would avoid causing significant side effects," Baker explained ... Among patients getting this drug, 44 percent of 124 individuals with the mutation in the ABCG2 gene developed diarrhea after receiving gefitinib; only 12 percent of 108 patients without the mutation developed... (EurekAlert!)
* Oncology meet addresses lung cancer threat Dec 3, 2006
Huang Hsiu-feng (q), a pathology researcher with the National Health Research Institute, recently discovered that the drug gefitinib, which has been rejected as an ineffective drug in the US, had dramatic effects when it comes to shrinking the size of tumors in Taiwanese patients due to the high incidence of a genetic mutation among the Taiwanese population. "Now we must come up with an effective filter to select the patients who will benefit most from gefitinib," Huang said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
* Cancer drug shows greater efficacy in Taiwanese patients Nov 13, 2006
"We decided to do the study when we realized that Taiwanese patients were doing much better on Gefitinib than studies from abroad would predict," said Huang Hsiu-feng (q), the principle investigator of the research into 65 non-small cell lung cancer patients conducted by the National Health Research Institutes ... "A genetic mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] is found in most of the patients where Gefitinib helped," Huang explained ... For some, like former minister of... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Promising Antiobesity Drug Fails To Produce Clinically Meaningful Weight Loss Oct 6, 2006
A drug designed to target a powerful hunger-stimulating factor that has long been considered a prime target for antiobesity therapy failed to produce clinically meaningful weight loss in obese people in a long-term clinical trial. People taking the drug known as MK-0557 for a year consistently lost about three pounds more than those taking a placebo, researchers reported in the October issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. (Science Daily)
Study Uncovers Mechanism Of Drug Resistance In Form Of Lung Cancer Sep 12, 2006
(April 30, 2004) -- Mutation of a gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) increases the likelihood that the drug gefitinib (Iressa) will show a beneficial response, researchers. . (Science Daily)
EGFR Mutations in Small-Cell Lung Cancers in Patients Who Have Never Smoked Jul 13, 2006
To the Editor: Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) occur in 10 to 20 percent of non small-cell lung cancers, specifically adenocarcinomas, and are associated with the response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (erlotinib and gefitinib). 1 However, the results of screening of small-cell lung cancers for EGFR mutations have been negative. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Researchers Announce New Predictor For Lung Cancer Treatment And Survival Jun 7, 2006
(April 19, 2005) -- Researchers have closed a randomized clinical trial comparing gefitinib (IressaTM) vs. placebo following chemotherapy and radiation for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that had. . (Science Daily)
Drug Shows Promise Against Advanced Form Of Lung Cancer Jun 6, 2006
(April 19, 2005) -- Researchers have closed a randomized clinical trial comparing gefitinib (IressaTM) vs. placebo following chemotherapy and radiation for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that had ... (December 24, 2004) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned from AstraZeneca that a large clinical trial comparing Iressa (gefitinib) with placebo in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had failed. (Science Daily)
Results of Key Phase II Studies Demonstrate Progression Free Survival Advantage for ZD6474 (ZACTIMA) in Lung Cancer Jun 5, 2006
(1) ZD6474 monotherapy in advanced NSCLC A second, two-part trial, Study 3, compared the anti-tumour effects of ZD6474 300mg monotherapy with gefitinib (IRESSA(TM)) 250mg monotherapy in 168 patients with advanced NSCLC after the failure of first and/or second line chemotherapy. (2) - In Part A of the study, patients receiving ZD6474 300mg had a significant prolongation of PFS compared with gefitinib 250mg with a mean PFS of 11 ... Furthermore disease control for more than 8 weeks was achieved in... (Canada Newswire)
Targeting Lung Cancer May 18, 2006
(February 25, 2005) -- Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have found an explanation for why some lung cancers stop responding to the drugs erlotinib (TarcevaTM) and gefitinib (Iressa). This. (Science Daily)
Gefitinib-Sensitizing Mutations in Esophageal Carcinoma May 18, 2006
To the Editor: The sensitivity of lung cancer to gefitinib has been found to be associated with mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR),1,2,3 yet similar observations are not available for other solid tumors. 4 We investigated whether gefitinib-sensitizing mutations in the EGFR gene were present in human esophageal tumors. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Lung cancer: It's not just for smokers May 7, 2006
Compelling examples include gefitinib and erlotinib, drugs targeted at specific growth-factor proteins found in many lung cancers. In a subset of lung cancer patients, more commonly in non-smokers, these drugs are particularly effective due to unique genetic alterations present in these tumors. (Boston Globe -- Editorial)
Cancer drug shame Apr 23, 2006
By Paul HeinrichsApril 23, 2006. ACCESS to new-generation, life-prolonging cancer drugs has shamefully been allowed to develop into a two-tier system one for the rich, another for everyone else. (The Age, Australia -- Breaking News)
