Health News

Experimental Rx Helped Lung Cancer Patients Live for Years
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the US. Advanced lung cancers have spread to other areas of the body and are extremely tough to beat. An experimental therapy may be a game changer.
Lung Cancer Rx Reduced Kidney Function
In 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked the approval of Xalkori (crizotinib) to treat a specific type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Since its approval, side effects have been discovered.
Is Bigger Better in Lung Cancer?
Though obesity can increase the risk of developing many diseases, the link between obesity and cancer outcomes is still not clear.
Advancing Treatment of Advanced Lung Cancer
When cancer is described as “advanced,” that means it has started to spread.  Today, progress in understanding the origins of cancer and the development of new medications have improved patients' odds of living with and beyond advanced cancers.
New Rx Stalls Advanced Lung Cancer
Lung cancer isn’t a single disease. Changes in genes produce different versions of lung cancer — the most common cancer in the US. Now there's a new medication designed to treat one specific type of lung cancer.
FDA Approves New Treatment for a Type of Late-Stage Lung Cancer
The US Food and Drug Administration today approved Gilotrif (afatinib) for patients with late stage (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express specific types of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test.
Progress in Progression-Free Survival
Changes in genes are at the heart of many cancers. One gene mutation shows up in about 10 percent of lung cancers. That gene is known as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
Cancer Treatment Inequalities
Does race enter the equation on who is treated and who isn't treated for cancer? According to a recent study, there are racial differences in how lung cancer is treated.
FDA Approves Companion Diagnostic to Detect Gene Mutation
The US Food and Drug Administration today approved the cobas EGFR Mutation Test, a companion diagnostic for the cancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib).
Targeting HER2 in Lung Cancer
You may have heard of HER2-positive breast cancer. You may not know that this gene can also play a role in lung cancer. And anti-HER2 medications may be useful in treating the world’s most common cancer.