"Treatment Combo Nearly Doubles Survival Time In Lung Cancer Patients, Study Finds" - Susan Scutti
Combining an immunotherapy drug with chemotherapy nearly doubled the survival time of some lung cancer patients compared to patients treated with chemotherapy alone, new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed. The study results apply only to patients whose lung cancer does not begin in the squamous cells (or surface lung cell layer) and who also lack certain genetic mutations. Jorge Gomez, MD, medical director of the thoracic oncology program at The Mount Sinai Hospital, explained that “about 220,000 patients are diagnosed with lung cancer a year in the United States.” He added, "What we look at in these trials is overall survival – how long patients live – and we look at a number called the median survival – how long 50 percent of patients live.” Median survival is met when 50 percent of the patients die. Recalling a patient with advanced lung cancer whose tumor disappeared and has not grown back after finishing treatment 24 months ago, Dr. Gomez said, "I'm now becoming much more optimistic that if we can really find a way to perfect this treatment and to really figure out who are the patients who do the best and why that we may be able to do something like get rid of lung cancer for at least some patients."
- Jorge Gomez, MD, Assistant Professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Medical Director, Thoracic Oncology Program, The Mount Sinai Hospital
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