In annual congress of European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Madrid the researchers presented the study describing Xalkori as a wonder drug. The drug Xalkori manufactured by Pfizer Incorporation is new in the market and is made to treat a rare type of lung cancer- the non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A clinical trial has shown surprising effects of Xalkori in reducing the size of this tumour and can be an effective treatment for people suffering from this uncommon form of illness related to gene defect.
The lead investigator Dr. Alice Shaw, from Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, reported that this clinical trial is the first solid study to establish crizotinib’s activity in victims of lung cancer who are tested positive for ROS1 and confirms that ROS1 is an authentic therapeutic target in those patients.
The database of the study involved 50 individuals diagnosed with NSCLC with a mutation in ROS1 gene. Out of 50, 36 patients consuming the drug showed shrinkage in the tumor size. This made a remarkable conclusion of 72 percent people benefiting from Pfizer medication through reduction in their fatal tumors. Moreover intake of Xalkori on a regular basis can actually halt the progression of the disease. This halt in the tumor growth was noted in nine patients.
Dr. Shaw in a separate statement stated that resistance with Xalkori develops much later as compared to other therapies used for treating lung cancers or melanoma.
Xalkori, with chemical name crizotinib, is approved from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for treating people with NSCLC having ALK fusion gene resulting from a mutation. This defective alteration in the genetic constituent of ALK plays a critical role in the growth of NSCLC; the same thing is witnessed in ROS 1 gene mutation too. However the clinical trial focused on the lung cancer due to rearrangements in ROS 1 gene only.
The medicine also serves spot diagnosis for detecting mutation in the ALK protein that occurs in 4 percent of individuals suffering from the disease. One important thing that should be kept in mind is that this Pfizer medication has longer duration of action, if taken twice daily, the medicine shows response within 17 month approximately.
