PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The current state of lung cancer treatment

By Paul Bunn Jr., M.D., University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator and past president of ASCO, IASLC and AACI

2012-12-11
(Press-News.org) A review in the December issue of the journal Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine by Paul Bunn Jr, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator and past president of ASCO, IASLC and AACI describes the current state of lung cancer care.

"We're in a new paradigm in which we realize this top cause of cancer deaths is actually a number of related diseases, each potentially with its own cause and cure," Bunn says.

The review describes the shift from blanketing lung cancer with radiation and chemotherapy, to targeting the specific genetic mutations that cause lung cancer's many varieties. The first of these oncogenic lung cancer mutations to be exploited by a drug was the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), described in 2004 and targeted by the drugs erlotinib and gefitinib. Then in 2007 the oncogenic ALK/EML4 fusion protein was described, and is now targeted by the drug crizotinib, which earned FDA approval in 2011. Drugs in the development pipeline target a handful of additional lung-cancer-causing mutations including KRAS, HER2/neu, BRAF, NRAF, and ROS.

"Pathologists used to define lung cancer as one of four types, based on its appearance," Bunn says, "but it's much more heterogenous than that. Some of these driver mutations may only be present in 1 or 2 percent of the lung cancer population, and mutations in combination may make for hundreds of species of the disease, each with its own response characteristics to targeted drugs and drug combinations."

"Whole exome sequencing shows there are about 300 mutations in the average lung cancer," Bunn says. "You may have an EGFR mutation driving the cancer, but then the other 299 mutations may help define who will do well on an EGFR inhibitor."

Bunn points out that in the lung cancer varieties whose driver oncogenes can be matched with targeted therapy, we tend to see 70-80 percent patient response as opposed to 20-30 percent response to traditional chemotherapies, and with much reduced side effects.

But with this great promise of picking off cancer varieties one-by-one according to their oncogenes comes the challenge of testing drugs that are effective in perhaps only one of every 100 lung cancer patients. The challenge is twofold: enrolling enough patients on a clinical trial to make the results meaningful, and securing funding for a trial in which the drug will only be marketable to a small slice of the lung cancer population.

"How do you get drug approvals for what we'd normally call orphan diseases?" Bunn asks.

Then, Bunn points to the major challenge of staying ahead of lung cancer as it mutates in response to these targeted first-line drugs. "Targeted therapies don't cure patients yet," Bunn says. Instead, lung cancer eventually mutates around the drug's effectiveness. "And so we have to discover the most rational combinations and see if these combinations allow complete response," Bunn says.

In addition to therapies targeting oncogenes, Bunn describes completely new approaches to treating the disease, including Phase III clinical trials of lung cancer vaccines that aid the body's immune response against the cancer, and the search for ways to promote the function of tumor-suppressor genes that are commonly turned off in cancers.

What is clear is that after many years of chemotherapy and radiation, we're in the midst of an explosion in novel lung cancer treatment options.

"In the coming few years it is likely that we will identify additional 'actionable' molecular drivers treated with specific oral inhibitors," Bunn says. "We're already up to 30 or 40 percent of lung cancers that are susceptible to targeted therapies. I don't know if we'll reach 100 percent but the number is certain to grow."

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Battling brittle bones... with broccoli and spinach?

Battling brittle bones... with broccoli and spinach?
2012-12-11
Troy, N.Y. – A new study from engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture. Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the study details how fractures in healthy bones begin with the creation of incredibly tiny holes, each measuring only about 500 atoms in diameter, within the bone's mineral structure. ...

Reports assess global student achievement in math, science and reading literacy

Reports assess global student achievement in math, science and reading literacy
2012-12-11
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (12-11-12)—Students from East Asian countries, in addition to a select group of European countries, outperformed students around the world in mathematics, science and reading at both the fourth and eighth grades, according to results released Dec. 11 by Lynch School of Education Professors Ina V.S. Mullis and Michael O. Martin, executive directors of the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the first global assessment of mathematics and science to provide data about trends over ...

Holiday shopping madness: When do consumers seek to punish fellow shoppers for behaving badly?

2012-12-11
Consumers seek to punish fellow consumers who violate social norms while shopping but also make exceptions depending on the situation, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Punishment is a complex decision for consumers to make as it is difficult to punish someone but also difficult to look the other way. Consumers do not seem to make these decisions lightly, and a number of interesting factors influence consumer punishment decisions," write authors Lily Lin, Darren W. Dahl (both University of British Columbia), and Jennifer J. Argo (University ...

How do stay-at-home dads seek greater social acceptance?

2012-12-11
In order to avoid the stigma and loss of status posed by their lifestyle choice, stay-at-home fathers are mobilizing to build greater legitimacy for their marginalized gender identity, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Stay-at-home fathers aggressively pursue recognition by and acceptance from mainstream institutions, with a particular emphasis on the mass market and iconic household and family-oriented brands. Accordingly, they vigilantly watch for mass media representations and advertisements that positively acknowledge their collective ...

Need to move soon? Don't trust your emotions

2012-12-11
Consumers are more likely to make emotional instead of objective assessments when the outcomes are closer to the present time than when they are further away in the future, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "The proximity of a decision's outcome increases consumer reliance on feelings when making decisions. Feelings are relied upon more when the outcome is closer in time because these feelings appear to be more informative in such situations," write authors Hannah H. Chang (Singapore Management University) and Michel Tuan Pham (Columbia University). From ...

Value or attention: Why do consumers prefer familiar products?

2012-12-11
Consumers are more likely to purchase a product if they have previously focused their attention on it but are less likely to purchase a product they have previously ignored, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "It's generally assumed that consumers will choose products that provide the greatest value. But prior consideration of a product makes it easier to process the product when it's encountered later and this influences whether or not consumers like the product, regardless of the benefits it provides. The act of attending to a product increases ...

Mobile app boosts weight loss by 15 pounds

2012-12-11
CHICAGO --- Using a mobile app that tracks eating and activity helped people lose an average of 15 pounds and keep it off for at least a year, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. But the technology only aided weight loss when its users also attended regular classes about nutrition and exercise. The app alone didn't help. "The app is important because it helps people regulate their behavior, which is really hard to do," said Bonnie Spring, lead investigator of the study and a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School ...

Binge eating, overeating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana, other drugs

2012-12-11
CHICAGO – Overeating and binge eating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana and other drugs in a study of adolescents and young adults, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. Binge eating is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) as eating an amount of food that is larger than most people would eat in a similar period under similar circumstances and feeling a lack of control over eating during the episode, according to the study ...

Study suggests odds of visual field testing for glaucoma decreased most for Hispanics in past decade

2012-12-11
CHICAGO – The odds of individuals with open-angle glaucoma undergoing visual field testing decreased for all racial/ethnic groups from 2001 through 2009, but the odds decreased the most for Hispanic men and women in a study of enrollees in a large U.S. managed care network, according to a report published in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, a JAMA Network publication. Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) affects more than 3 million individuals in the United States and is a major cause of visual impairment. Studies have found the condition is more prevalent in racial ...

Addition of technology to standard weight loss plan appears beneficial for greater weight loss

2012-12-11
CHICAGO – Use of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and telephone coaching appears to enhance short-term weight loss when used in conjunction with an existing physician-directed weight loss treatment program, according to a report posted Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. "Little is known about whether the outcome of physician-directed weight loss treatment can be improved by adding mobile technology," the authors write as background. However, "self-monitoring of diet and physical activity is associated with weight loss success ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Malnutrition in children rises when economy drops

New model enables the study of how protein complex influences mitochondrial function

Device study offers hopes for spinal cord injuries

How urea forms spontaneously

Mayo Clinic’s AI tool identifies 9 dementia types, including Alzheimer’s, with one scan

Gene therapy improves blood flow in the brain in patients with sickle cell disease

Building breast tissue in the lab to better understand lactation

How gut bacteria change after exposure to pesticides

Timepoint at which developing B-cells become cancerous impacts leukemia treatment

Roberto Morandotti wins prestigious IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award 

New urine-based tumor DNA test may help personalize bladder cancer treatment

How a faulty transport protein in the brain can trigger severe epilepsy

Study reveals uneven land sinking across New Orleans, raising flood-risk concerns

Researchers uncover novel mechanism for regulating ribosome biogenesis during brain development

RNA codon expansion via programmable pseudouridine editing and decoding

Post-diagnosis emergency department presentation and demographic factors in malignant skin cancers

A new genetic tuner for embryo development

Insurance churn and the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum Medicaid use in birthing parents and access to financed care

Manufacturing chemicals via orthogonal strategy, making full use of waste plastic resources in real life

Study overturns long-held belief about shape of fish schools

Precision oncology Organ Chip platform accurately and actionably predicts chemotherapy responses of patients suffering from esophageal adenocarcinoma

Verify the therapeutic effect of effective components of lycium barbarum on hepatocellular carcinoma based on molecular docking

Early intervention changes trajectory for depressed preschoolers

HonorHealth Research Institute presents ‘monumental’ increase in survivability for patients suffering ultra-low blood pressure

Mitochondrial dynamics in breast cancer metastasis: From metabolic drivers to therapeutic targets

Removing out-of-pocket fee improves access to 3D mammography

Does reducing exposure to image and video content on messaging apps reduce the impact of misinformation? Yes and no

A global microbiome preservation effort enters its growth phase

New credit card-sized TB test could close the diagnostic gap in HIV hotspots

[Press-News.org] The current state of lung cancer treatment
By Paul Bunn Jr., M.D., University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator and past president of ASCO, IASLC and AACI