Genzyme launches a unique genetic test to adjust treatment for lung cancer patients. The new test will make it possible to identify the patients for whom innovative drugs will benefit, and will save expensive treatment from patients for whom these drugs will not help.
Avi Blizovsky
"This is an important first step in the development of personalized treatment for lung cancer patients," the company says.
Direct link to this page: https://www.hayadan.org.il/genzyme141005.html
The biotechnology company Genzyme, which specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary diseases, announced today the launch of an innovative genetic test designed to check suitability for drug treatment in NSCLC - Non Small Cell Lung Cancer.
The test detects certain mutations related to the EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) gene to enable appropriate drug treatment for lung cancer patients. Various studies have revealed that patients with mutations in the EGFR gene respond to two new drugs ® (Iressa and Tarceva ® ), designed for the deadly cancer.
The discovery about the EGFR mutation was made by a pair of doctors from the Dana Farber Institute in Massachusetts, USA. According to the studies published by the two, most of the patients who responded to the drugs had a mutation in the gene in question. The Genzyme company holds exclusive rights to finding the EGFR gene in NSCLC patients.
Genzyme's new test enables the detection of the mutation in the gene and therefore saves expensive treatment from patients who will not be helped by the new drugs.
The beginning of personalized medicine
"About 20% of NSCLC lung cancer patients have a mutation in EGFR" reported Mara Aspinal, president of the Genzyme Genetics business unit. "With the help of the test, we can help doctors personally choose the right treatment for each patient. This is the beginning of what is known as "personalized medicine".
"The possibility of knowing from the first moment whether this or that treatment for a cancer patient will benefit him, is a very important tool in the treatment of lung cancer" says Prof. Matthew Myerson from the Dana Farber Institute, who was also a partner in the discovery of EGFR. "The new test is an important first step in the development of rational and personalized treatment for lung cancer patients."
Innovative treatments, including the drugs Irsa and Tresaba, are given to patients in cases where other chemotherapy treatments have failed. Patients of this type make up about 30% of all NSCLC patients. The studies that test the effectiveness of using the new drugs as a first line of treatment are still in progress. It seems that the discovery of the mutations in the gene will make it possible to concentrate on patients who are most likely to benefit from the treatment, thus allowing the approval of the drugs for the primary treatment of NSCLC patients. At this stage, the researchers are checking whether the mutations in the gene are also found in other cancerous tumors. If so, it may be possible to apply tailored medicine treatment methods in other types of cancer as well.
The new test is one of a series of innovative tests that the Genzyme company is about to put into use this year, which aim to enable the application of "personalized medicine" in cancer patients. Last July, the company launched a new test aimed at testing the need for treatment with a drug called Campath®. The new test manages to detect low levels of residual B-CLL blood cancer that can be treated with the drug.
Cancer research expert
https://www.hayadan.org.il/BuildaGate4/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~~~292256880~~~48&SiteName=hayadan
