Abraxaneâ„¢ Effective for Initial Treatment of Metastatic

[dadstimeon]

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

http://professional.cancerconsultants.c ... x?id=35355

Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have reported that Abraxane (albumin-bound paclitaxel) appears to be effective and well tolerated as initial treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The details of this study were presented at the 23rd annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York, November 2-5, 2005.

Abraxane has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. In head to head comparisons Abraxane was superior to Taxol (paclitaxel) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

This drug is now undergoing phase I and II trials in cancers previously shown to respond to Taxol. The current phase I/II study evaluated Abraxane as the initial treatment of patients with stage IV NSCLC. The phase II trial included 41 patients stage IV NSCLC who may have received prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy but not therapy for metastatic disease. This study is still ongoing and only preliminary data were presented.

The median age of study participants was 69 years and the following data were presented:

The complete and partial response rate was 35%.

Time to disease progression was 5 months.

Median survival was 10.6 months.

Severe adverse effects of treatment included low white blood cell levels (10% of patients), sensory neuropathy (16% of patients), and fatigue (10% of patients).

These researchers concluded that Abraxane appears to have significant activity in the treatment of metastatic NSCLC. Furthermore, treatment was well tolerated. Due to these promising results, Abraxane will continue to be evaluated for the treatment of NSCLC which will probably include direct comparison with Taxol.

Comments: The role of Abraxane in the treatment of taxane sensitive cancers will continue to evolve to establish whether or not this represents a true advance in therapy.

Reference: Rizvi, N, et al. Phase 1/2 Study of ABI-007 (Abraxane) in chemotherapy-naïve advanced NSCLC. Proceedings from the 23rd annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium. New York, NY. Presented November 4, 2005.

[endangered but surviving]

Dear Rich,

this is good.

thanks so much.

joyce