Gefitinib is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has not gotten better after treatment with other chemotherapy. It is available only as part of a special program called the Iressa Access Program. Gefitinib is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.
Gefitinib is an anilinoquinazoline with antineoplastic activity. Gefitinib inhibits the catalytic activity of numerous tyrosine kinases including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which may result in inhibition of tyrosine kinase-dependent tumor growth. Specifically, this agent competes with the binding of ATP to the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR, thereby inhibiting receptor autophosphorylation and resulting in inhibition of signal transduction. Gefitinib may also induce cell cycle arrest and inhibit angiogenesis.
Preliminary research suggests that the second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor dacomitinib may improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations.
The expression of the immune checkpoint protein programmed death-1 receptor and its ligand varies according to tumour and patient characteristics in oncogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer, research indicates.
The most commonly used medications for osteoporosis worldwide, bisphosphonates, may also prevent certain kinds of lung, breast and colon cancers, according to two studies led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
University of Cincinnati researchers have found in a phase-2 clinical trial that a Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy could be effective in treating both older and African American patients with advanced lung cancer who may not be candidates for chemotherapy.
A new drug that targets not only common cancer-causing genetic mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but also a form of the mutation that causes resistance to treatment, has shown promising results in patients in a phase I/II clinical trial.
The irreversible, pan-epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor dacomitinib does not offer a survival benefit in pretreated patients with advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, phase III trial results show.
Patients with a specific type of oesophageal cancer survived longer when they were given the latest lung cancer drug, according to trial results being presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference today (Wednesday).
Epidermal growth factor receptor–tyrosine kinase inhibitors appear to significantly reduce the efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer, Chinese researchers report.
Heavily pretreated patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer and central nervous system metastases may benefit from treatment with afatinib, say German researchers.
DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage oncology company, today announced the presentation of promising new data supporting the activity of its lead drug compound, VAL-083, in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the AACR's New Horizons in Cancer Research: Harnessing Breakthroughs – Targeting Cures. The conference takes place October 9th to 12th in Pudong, Shanghai.
Updated data from the ongoing AURA study of AZD9291 shows encouraging, although still immature, median progression free survival of 9.6 months (95% CI 8.3 to NC) in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation positive (EGFRm) T790M+ advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had disease progression following treatment with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI).
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor sensitivity may be predicted by the frequency of a point mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene, suggests a study of Japanese patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that new data will be presented from 7 abstracts for Gilotrif (afatinib) and investigational compounds, including nintedanib and BI 836845, from its oncology pipeline at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL, on May 30 – June 3, 2014.
There are thousands of drugs that silence many thousands of cancer-causing genetic abnormalities. Some of these drugs are in use now, but many of these drugs are sitting on shelves or could be used beyond the disease for which they were originally approved.
Disease progression-free survival is similar for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and epidermal growth factor receptor mutations whether they receive erlotinib or gefitinib, show the results of a South Korean study.
A new era of lung cancer therapy is close to dawning, using drugs that can prevent tumour cells from evading the immune system, experts have said at the 4th European Lung Cancer Congress.
Non-small-cell lung cancer patients with very unusual epidermal growth factor receptor mutations may be more likely to be benefit from first-line chemotherapy than a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, research suggests.
Afatinib has been approved in Germany since September 2013 for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with activating EGF receptor mutations who have not been treated with an EGF receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI).
Afatinib should be given as a first-line treatment for Asian patients with advanced, epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-positive, non-small-cell lung cancer, researchers recommend.
Pfizer Inc. today announced top-line results from two randomized Phase 3 studies of the irreversible pan-HER kinase inhibitor dacomitinib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.