Curbing Hormones' Effects In Obese Patients Could Aid Against Breast Cancer Dec 4, 2008
3, 2008) Once-promising drugs that were abandoned in the fight against breast cancer still could be effective in obese patients, new research suggests. In laboratory tests, hormones produced by fat cells stimulate breast cancer cells to migrate and invade surrounding tissues, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine found. (Science Daily)
Iressa as Good as Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer Nov 23, 2008
Although neither therapy prolongs survival beyond eight months, Iressa (gefitinib) causes fewer serious side effects and may be a better choice for patients who did not do well on their first round of chemotherapy. "A pill, with less side effects, taken once a day, has similar activity to traditional chemotherapy given by vein every three weeks," said lead researcher Dr. Edward Kim, an assistant professor at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. (U.S. News & World Report)
Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier Nov 23, 2008
Roughly half were given Iressa, or gefitinib, once a day. The other half were on docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug given intravenously every three weeks. (Yahoo News)
Australia needs genetic test plan: doctors Oct 29, 2008
Patients could only get subsidised access to the lung cancer drug gefitinib, for example, if their cancer cells were genetically susceptible to the drug. But the test, costing $1000, was not available through Medicare. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Early Trial Of New Multi-kinase Inhibitor Shows Impressive Activity In Thyroid Cancer Oct 28, 2008
In a preclinical study presented on Friday at the conference, XL184 showed encouraging results in boosting sensitivity to erlotinib and gefitinib in drug-resistant lung cancer. Gefitinib and erlotinib belong to a class of targeted drugs that zero in on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, which is mutated in many non-small cell lung cancers ... In the study, mice were grafted with human EGFR mutant and MET amplified non-small cell lung cancer tumours that were made resistant to... (Science Daily)
New Genes Linked To Lung Cancer In Large-scale Genetic Study Oct 24, 2008
16, 2008) The targeted therapy gefitinib should be considered a first-line therapy for nonsmoking Asian patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung, one of the most common types of lung cancer, suggests a. (Nov. (Science Daily)
Role For Gefitinib In Asian Nonsmokers With Lung Cancer Established Sep 17, 2008
16, 2008) The targeted therapy gefitinib should be considered a first-line therapy for non-smoking Asian patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung, one of the most common types of lung cancer, suggests a presentation at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm ... "Around 50% to 60% of this population have tumors with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor, and we know that patients with such mutations have a significantly better treatment... (Science Daily)
Early Phase Breast Cancer Study Suggests New Approach Can Re-sensitize Tumors Sep 10, 2008
(May 19, 2008) 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. (Dec. (Science Daily)
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)
