'Surprising' new lung cancer treatment 40% more effective than standard in 'golden age' of cancer research

A new drug combo recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration can stop lung cancer in its treacherous tracks — 40% longer than previously possible, an extensive trial funded by pharmaceutical giant Janssen has shown.

Doctors hailed the breakthrough as “amazing”.

Lung cancer kills about 1.8 million people every year. Insidious disease is known to have a very low survival rate, especially for those in advanced stages.

The Guardian reports that a group of patients in that uncertain condition were given a cocktail of amivantumab, a monoclonal antibody, and lazertinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor — keeping them alive and progression-free for an average of 23.7 months.

The outlet revealed that victims who received the standard treatment, a drug called osimertinib, lived an average of 16.6 months progression-free.

The findings come as experts hail a so-called “golden age” of cancer research that is leading to better understanding and better treatment methods.

“This new combination shows longer cancer control than osimertinib, which was itself a breakthrough treatment a few years ago,” said Martin Forster, UK trial chief and medical oncologist at University College Hospital.

“A better understanding of the biology that drives lung cancer has guided the development of these targeted therapies,” Forster explained.

More than 1,000 patients were enrolled in the Phase 3 trial conducted between 2020-2022 in multiple countries.

All had advanced stages of common non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC.

They were randomly assigned to either the drug combo or the standard treatment that everyone in the patient group received normally.

“By combining these two drugs, which prevent the cancer from growing in different ways, we see a significant improvement in progression-free survival compared to the drug we currently use,” said Rafael Califano, a consultant in medical oncology involved in the trial. .

“Survival rates for lung cancer are still very low compared to other types of disease and so it is a welcome development to see such positive results.”

“We are in a golden age of cancer research where a greater understanding of what drives certain cancers is informing new and better ways to beat the disease,” Cancer Research UK's Anna Kinsella told The Guardian.

“Research like this helps more people live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”

The FDA gave the go-ahead for the treatment in August.

The Post previously reported that researchers are campaigning to ban the sale of cigarettes to smokers – saying the move could save an average of 1.2 million lives from lung cancer over a 70-year period.