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Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(NAPSI)-New medicines and medical approaches, increased knowledge and breakthrough clinical trials are helping improve the prognosis for people with lung cancer.
For example, recent studies prove that chemotherapy after lung cancer surgery increases five-year survival by 15 percent.
Continued clinical studies (or "trials") can build on this positive data.
Future trials will likely focus on our rapidly increasing knowledge of genetics, molecular biology and immunology to develop even more effective and less toxic treatments for cancer.
The new knowledge will help doctors detect cancer at its earliest and most treatable stage. Seventy percent of lung cancer patients are not diagnosed until their disease has reached a late stage.
Participation in clinical trials is crucial. Yet, according to the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, only 14 percent of lung cancer patients are aware that a clinical trial may be a treatment option.
The nonprofit coalition is working to change that. It formed a Scientific Leadership Council (SLC) to help study the causes of and treatments for lung cancer.
The Coalition's central mission is to increase awareness of and participation in cancer trials. For lung cancer, the Coalition's SLC has highlighted three trials--identified by a number or name--as high priorities that can have an immediate impact on lung cancer treatment:
1) RADIANT (OSI-774-302), a trial testing the use of a drug, Tarceva (erlotinib), following surgery for nonsmall cell lung cancer;
2) E1505, a trial testing the benefits of combining a drug called Avastin (bevacizumab) with chemotherapy following surgery for nonsmall cell lung cancer;
3) S0533, a trial studying a new treatment regimen using Avastin in patients with advanced lung cancer.
Patients can find information on these trials at www.CancerTrials Help.org. The site answers questions about cancer research and features TrialCheck®, an online search tool that quickly gives patients access to customized clinical trial information--sorted by cancer type and the patient's ZIP code. TrialCheck® users can discuss search results immediately with an American Cancer Society National Cancer Information Center specialist (also using TrialCheck®) by calling (877) 227-8451.
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