Treatment Information

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Lung Cancer treatment details. Chemotherapy.

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:5City/State/Province:Boston, MA
Treatments:ChemotherapyHospital:Massachusetts General Hospital
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Jun 2013

Description:

Patients:
This phase 3 study involved ALK-positive lung cancer patients who had received prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were divided into two separate treatment groups. Group A consisted of 173 patients with a median age of 51 years and 43% male. Group B had 174 patients with a median age of 49 years and 45% male.

Treatment:
Patients in group A were treated with the biologic therapy agent crizotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that interferes with cancer cell growth.

Patients in group B received chemotherapy with either pemetrexed or docetaxel.

Toxicities:
Treatment-related deaths due to cardiac toxicity and pneumonia were reported for group A. Grade 3-4 shortness of breath, fatigue, and constipation were also reported.

There was one treatment-related death due to sepsis (infection) in group B. Grade 3-4 fatigue and shortness of breath were also reported.

Results:
The median progression-free survival for groups A and B was 7.7 and 3.0 months, respectively.
The median overall survival for groups A and B was 20.3 and 22.8 months, respectively.

Support:
This study was supported by Pfizer.

Correspondence: Dr. Alice T. Shaw; email: [email protected]



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