Posted on 01/22/2023 7:39:17 PM PST by ConservativeMind
A new personalized cancer treatment can radically improve the outlook for some patients with bile duct cancer, finds an international multicenter trial involving researchers.
The clinical trial found that patients who were otherwise facing end of life care survived for up to two years when treated with the drug futibatinib.
In September last year, data from the FOENIX-CCA2 trial led to the FDA to approve futibatinib.
Futibatinib targets a particular genetic alteration, called FGFR2 fusion, which is found in around 14% of bile duct cancers.
Of those diagnosed annually in the UK with bile duct cancer, which comprises cholangiocarcinoma and gall bladder cancer, approximately 300 will have this genetic alteration.
There are very few treatment options for bile duct cancer and the survival is poor, with patients surviving on average for just 12 months. Although the cancer is uncommon, incidence is on the rise globally.
This international trial recruited 103 patients with bile duct cancer who had undergone at least one chemotherapy treatment, but whose cancer had become resistant. The patients' cancer tumors had been genetically analyzed (molecularly profiled) to check that they had an alteration in a particular group of genes, known as fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR). The drug, futibatinib, is known as an FGFR-2 inhibitor, as it targets this genetic alteration.
When the patients were treated with futibatinib (oral tablet), the results were striking. The drug was more effective at reducing the size of the tumor, with the cancer shrinking by over 40%, compared to 25% with chemotherapy. The drug also produced modest side effects compared to chemotherapy.
Patients on treatment survived for up to two years, even though they had advanced cancer and had sometimes tried up to five other treatments before entering the trial. Without this most patients would have been offered best supportive care.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Futibatinib was approved for medical use in the United States in September 2022.[1][4][6][3]
New? No thanks. My trust in Pharma is right down there with my trust in fedgov.
You are free to die of a now treatable cancer because you don’t like big pharma. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! Truth is we will see more and more of these targeted but effective treatments coming out. I have a dear friend who is alive 3 years into stage 4 cancer thanks to immunotherapy. I’m very glad she didnt say no cause she doesn’t trust pharmaceutical companies
Ping!
“You are free to die of a now treatable cancer because you don’t like big pharma. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! Truth is we will see more and more of these targeted but effective treatments coming out. I have a dear friend who is alive 3 years into stage 4 cancer thanks to immunotherapy. I’m very glad she didnt say no cause she doesn’t trust pharmaceutical companies”
The goal here may be to survive long enough until A BETTER and more durable treatment becomes available - which will happen.
not if you already have stage 4 cancer
And when the better treatment comes out where do you think it will come from? It will also be from big pharma - they are the only ones with the resources to develop new treatments. They do plenty wrong but they are the only ones world wide producing cutting edge treatments
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