New Drugs Make Big Difference in Treating Lung, Prostate, Colon Cancers
2020-06-08
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1Doctors are reporting success with newer drugs that control some kinds of cancer better than current medicines.
2They say these drugs reduce the risk that the cancer will come back and make treatment simpler and easier for patients.
3One such drug, taken as a daily pill, called Tagrisso, comes from drug manufacturer AstraZeneca.
4The British-based company says Tagrisso targets a mutation in the patient's genes, unlike chemotherapy drugs, which can kill both cancerous and healthy cells.
5Doctors say the new drug's side effects can be controlled long enough that it can be used for several years to help prevent the cancer from returning.
6Yet Tagrisso and other newer drugs can cost $150,000 or more a year.
7How much patients end up paying depends on their healthcare insurance, earnings, and other considerations.
8Lung cancer kills more than 1.7 million people worldwide each year.
9Roy Herbst is a doctor with the Yale Cancer Center in the United States.
10He led a study of Tagrisso in 682 patients with the most common form of the disease.
11All had operable tumors with a mutation in a gene called EGFR.
12This unusual genetic structure is found in 10 percent to 35 percent of such cases, mainly among Asians and non-smokers.
13About half of the patients were given chemotherapy after their tumor operation.
14The drug treatment uses powerful chemicals to kill the cancer cells.
15The patients then took Tagrisso or harmless pills called placebos.
16Independent observers stopped the study in April when the effectiveness of Tagrisso seemed clear.
17After two years on average, 89 percent of patients taking the drug were alive without cancer returning, compared to 53 percent of those on the placebo.
18Severe side effects were a little more common on Tagrisso.
19They included patients feeling tired and reddish skin in the mouth or around the nails.
20U.S. health officials have approved Tagrisso for use in treating advanced lung cancer, and "the excitement now is moving this earlier" before the disease has widely spread, noted Herbst.
21The drug costs about $15,000 a month.
22Men with advanced prostate cancer often are treated with medicines to block male hormones that can help the cancer grow.
23The drugs are injected as shots in the arm every few months but take days or weeks to start working.
24They can also cause bone pain and other problems.
25An experimental drug called relugolix is a different kind of hormone blocker and the first meant for use as a daily pill.
26The drug is a product of Myovant Sciences.
27Researchers tested it against shots of the drug leuprolide, an injectable man-made hormone, every three months in 930 men.
28They were treated for nearly a year.
29The company reports that about 97 percent on the experimental drug kept hormones blocked throughout that time, compared to 89 percent on leuprolide.
30Four days after the start of treatment, 56% of men on relugolix and none on leuprolide had hormones blocked.
31Three percent of the men taking relugolix experienced a serious heart problem, such as a heart attack or stroke.
32That compares to six percent of the men on leuprolide.
33The difference was even greater among men who suffered heart problems earlier.
34Myovant is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the drug.
35Merck & Company manufactures Keytruda, an experimental drug, that helps the body's natural defense system find and fight cancer.
36Keytruda proved better than traditional chemotherapy treatments for people with advanced colon cancer and tumors with gene defects that result in a high number of mutations.
37The study involved 307 patients in France.
38Those given Keytruda went more than 16 months on average before their cancer worsened.
39That compares with 8 months for those taking chemotherapy treatments.
40After a year, 55 percent on Keytruda were alive without worsening cancer compared to 37 percent on chemotherapy.
41After two years, the rate was 48 percent versus nearly 19 percent.
42About 22% of people getting Keytruda had severe side effects compared to 66% on chemotherapy.
43The Associated Press adds that Keytruda costs about $12,500 a month.
44I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Doctors are reporting success with newer drugs that control some kinds of cancer better than current medicines. They say these drugs reduce the risk that the cancer will come back and make treatment simpler and easier for patients. 2One such drug, taken as a daily pill, called Tagrisso, comes from drug manufacturer AstraZeneca. The British-based company says Tagrisso targets a mutation in the patient's genes, unlike chemotherapy drugs, which can kill both cancerous and healthy cells. 3Doctors say the new drug's side effects can be controlled long enough that it can be used for several years to help prevent the cancer from returning. 4Yet Tagrisso and other newer drugs can cost $150,000 or more a year. How much patients end up paying depends on their healthcare insurance, earnings, and other considerations. 5Lung cancer 6Lung cancer kills more than 1.7 million people worldwide each year. Roy Herbst is a doctor with the Yale Cancer Center in the United States. He led a study of Tagrisso in 682 patients with the most common form of the disease. All had operable tumors with a mutation in a gene called EGFR. This unusual genetic structure is found in 10 percent to 35 percent of such cases, mainly among Asians and non-smokers. 7About half of the patients were given chemotherapy after their tumor operation. The drug treatment uses powerful chemicals to kill the cancer cells. The patients then took Tagrisso or harmless pills called placebos. 8Independent observers stopped the study in April when the effectiveness of Tagrisso seemed clear. 9After two years on average, 89 percent of patients taking the drug were alive without cancer returning, compared to 53 percent of those on the placebo. Severe side effects were a little more common on Tagrisso. They included patients feeling tired and reddish skin in the mouth or around the nails. 10U.S. health officials have approved Tagrisso for use in treating advanced lung cancer, and "the excitement now is moving this earlier" before the disease has widely spread, noted Herbst. 11The drug costs about $15,000 a month. 12Prostate cancer 13Men with advanced prostate cancer often are treated with medicines to block male hormones that can help the cancer grow. The drugs are injected as shots in the arm every few months but take days or weeks to start working. They can also cause bone pain and other problems. 14An experimental drug called relugolix is a different kind of hormone blocker and the first meant for use as a daily pill. The drug is a product of Myovant Sciences. Researchers tested it against shots of the drug leuprolide, an injectable man-made hormone, every three months in 930 men. They were treated for nearly a year. 15The company reports that about 97 percent on the experimental drug kept hormones blocked throughout that time, compared to 89 percent on leuprolide. Four days after the start of treatment, 56% of men on relugolix and none on leuprolide had hormones blocked. 16Three percent of the men taking relugolix experienced a serious heart problem, such as a heart attack or stroke. That compares to six percent of the men on leuprolide. The difference was even greater among men who suffered heart problems earlier. 17Myovant is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the drug. 18Colon cancer 19Merck & Company manufactures Keytruda, an experimental drug, that helps the body's natural defense system find and fight cancer. Keytruda proved better than traditional chemotherapy treatments for people with advanced colon cancer and tumors with gene defects that result in a high number of mutations. 20The study involved 307 patients in France. Those given Keytruda went more than 16 months on average before their cancer worsened. That compares with 8 months for those taking chemotherapy treatments. After a year, 55 percent on Keytruda were alive without worsening cancer compared to 37 percent on chemotherapy. After two years, the rate was 48 percent versus nearly 19 percent. 21About 22% of people getting Keytruda had severe side effects compared to 66% on chemotherapy. 22The Associated Press adds that Keytruda costs about $12,500 a month. 23I'm Jonathan Evans. 24Marilynn Marchione reported on this story for The Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 25_______________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27advanced - adj. having developed more than others 28defects - n. a physical problems that cause something to be less valuable, effective, healthy, etc. 29hormones - n. natural substances produced in the body that influence the way the body grows or develops 30insurance - n. an agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something such as a house or car if it is damaged, lost, or stolen 31mutation - n. a change in a gene or the resulting new trait it produces in an individual 32nails - n. the hard coverings at the end of fingers or toes; fingernails or toenails 33pill - n. a small, rounded object that you swallow and that contains medicine, vitamins, etc. 34tumor - n. a mass of tissue found in or on the body that is made up of abnormal cells