Lung Cancer

WASHINGTON -- Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the introduction of legislation that creates the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at lung cancer and authorizes $75 million to start the first phase of the five year program to reduce lung cancer mortality. "This is the turning point," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO in thanking Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for co-sponsoring the historic legislation, the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008.

OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Screening for lung cancer with computed tomography (CT) may help reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, but it won't protect them from other causes of death associated with smoking, according to a new study published in the July issue of the journal Radiology. "Our study suggests that screening may be one way to reduce risk of death from lung cancer," said the study's lead author, Pamela McMahon, Ph.D., senior scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and instructor in radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Pfizer announced results from several clinical trials further describing the activity of its investigational compound CP-751,871 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Ewing's Sarcoma, both diseases with high unmet medical need. The three oral presentations and one poster discussion underscore that the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is increasingly recognized by the medical community as a relevant target for investigation in cancer research. The results were presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL.

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the release of promising data from the pivotal Phase III First Line in Lung Cancer with Erbitux(R) (FLEX) Study. The data, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), showed a significant increase in overall survival in the first line treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). "This is very exciting news," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. "The FLEX data shows significant improvements in overall survival for a broad base of patients with no new safety concerns.

BERLIN and SEATTLE -- Epigenomics AG, a molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of products for cancer based on DNA methylation, today announced that it successfully completed a clinical study in its lung cancer program. The study was run in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Christian Witt and Dr. Bernd Schmidt at the Charite -- Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany. The clinical study of 84 patient samples demonstrated that a panel of two proprietary biomarkers detected 79% of lung cancers in bronchial lavage specimens at specificity of 95%, i.e.

Carriers of a common genetic disorder previously linked to lung disease may have a 70-percent to 100-percent increased risk of lung cancer, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The disorder, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (a1ATD), is one of the most common genetic conditions affecting the U.S. population and especially those of European descent, according to background information in the article. Individuals with two copies of the associated genetic mutation often develop emphysema at an early age.

New data presented by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today highlighted the potential of its investigational MAGE-A3 Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic (ASCI) through results of three studies evaluating highly targeted immunotherapy as a treatment for metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These data were presented at the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract Nos: 9065(1), 9045(2) and 7501(3)).

Carriers of a common genetic disorder previously linked to lung disease may have a 70-percent to 100-percent increased risk of lung cancer, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The disorder, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (a1ATD), is one of the most common genetic conditions affecting the U.S. population and especially those of European descent, according to background information in the article. Individuals with two copies of the associated genetic mutation often develop emphysema at an early age.

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers. The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association. Researchers found that the genetic disorder, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (N1ATD), could explain up to about 12 percent of lung cancer patients in this study and likely represents the same widespread risk in the general population.

WASHINGTON -- Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the release of promising data from the pivotal Phase III First Line in Lung Cancer with Erbitux(R) (FLEX) Study. The data, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), showed a significant increase in overall survival in the first line treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). "This is very exciting news," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. "The FLEX data shows significant improvements in overall survival for a broad base of patients with no new safety concerns.