New Treatment Offers Hope to Lung Cancer Patients

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New Drug Approval

The Federal Drug Administration has recently approved the use of the chemotherapy drug Taxotere® for first line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

What Is NSCLC?

NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for almost 80% of all diagnosed cases. 

More than 170,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer every year with over 90% of those diagnosed dieing from the disease. There are currently very few treatments available for lung cancer and most cases are inoperable. Patients who are diagnosed with advanced NSCLC, and who do not respond to standard chemotherapy, have especially few options. The newly approved Taxotere® treatment has proven successful in extending the survival rate and improving the quality-of-life for many NSCLC patients.

Current Uses of Taxotere

Developed by the French pharmaceutical company Aventis SA, Taxotere® was first approved in the United States in 1996 as a second line treatment for advanced breast cancer patients who did not respond to first line chemotherapy treatments. Taxotere® soon proved effective as a second line treatment for advanced NSCLC patients who similarly did not respond to initial chemotherapy treatments. Taxotere® is already approved by the FDA as a second line treatment for NSCLC (after failure of prior chemotherapy) and has been measurably successful in that capacity.

How It Works

Taxotere® treatment is a unique form of chemotherapy. Most chemotherapy aims at destroying cancer cells by damaging their DNA. When injected into the bloodstream, Taxotere® targets and damages microctubules, which are vital structural elements involved in the cell division process. The damaging of these microctubules helps to prevent the cancer cells from dividing.

Benefits to Patients

The new FDA approved treatment is significant in that the potential benefits of Taxotere® treatment may now reach a patient directly after their initial diagnosis, or first line, rather than reaching a patient only after the failure of another treatment, which can be more taxing on the patient. As a second line treatment, Taxotere® quickly proved successful in extending and improving the quality of life for NSCLC patients. The new FDA approved treatment allows patients who have not received prior chemotherapy to be administered Taxotere® (combined with the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin) as a first line treatment for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic (spreading) NSCLC.

However, Taxotere® treatment is not a cure. It is complex treatment that aims to help patients fight a devastating and debilitating disease by allowing patients to survive longer and suffer less.

The results of tests conducted by the FDA are consistent with results from other countries and show that patients treated with Taxotere® averaged a higher survival rate over one year than patients who were not treated with Taxotere®. Patients treated with Taxotere® also experienced an improved quality-of-life standard in that they were exposed to less radiopathy and experienced less debilitating side effects. While Taxotere® treatment is not without it’s own debilitating side effects, patients treated with Taxotere® experienced less weight loss and needed less pain-relieving medication than patients who were not treated with Taxotere®.

Possible Side Effects

Possible side effects from using Taxotere® include:

• Low blood cell count
  
• Nausea and vomiting
  
• Mouth sores
  
• Diarrhea
  
• Fatigue
  
• Hair Loss
  
• Allergic reactions (tightness in chest, itching, hives or shortness of breath)

Taxotere® is widely used throughout the world as a powerful agent to help patients and physicians manage breast cancer and NSCLC in various stages. It is currently being studied for its effectiveness in fighting prostate, ovarian, head and neck and stomach cancers.

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