A South Korean medical research team’s treatment of patients diagnosed with ROS1 gene rearrangement non-small lung cancer with the drug Ceritinib has led to a change in globally accepted treatment methods. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – A South Korean medical research team’s treatment of patients diagnosed with ROS1 gene rearrangement non-small lung cancer with the drug Ceritinib has led to a change in globally accepted treatment methods.
From June 2013 through February 2016, Yonsei Cancer Center researchers conducted drug therapies on 404 stage 4 lung cancer patients whose first round of chemotherapy had been unsuccessful.
Of the participants, 32 were suffering from ROS1 gene rearrangement non-small lung cancer (ROS1), according to the researchers.
Generally, the number of ROS1 cases is relatively low, comprising about 3 percent of all lung cancer diagnoses. The percentage of patients with ROS1 in the study (7.9 percent) was more than double that figure; the researchers explained this anomaly could be attributed to the fact that all participants were suffering from advanced lung cancer.
These patients consistently responded to treatment for 21 months. In addition, disease-free survival – the period of time during which the spread of cancer cells is halted – persisted for 19.3 months, a result comparable to that of Crizotinib, regarded as the main cancer treatment drug of choice.
Based on the study’s results, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) modified its guidelines to include Ceritinib as a viable treatment option. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
Based on the study’s results, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) modified its guidelines to include Ceritinib as a viable treatment option. The NCCN guidelines are considered the global standard for treatment procedures.
The NCCN is a nonprofit organization of which members are preeminent cancer experts from renowned institutions like the Mayo Clinic, Stanford Cancer Institute, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Professor Cho Byung-chul, one of the researchers, said that the NCCN’s recognition of the Yonsei study is a sign that South Korea’s cancer treatment methods and research integrity are among the world’s best.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
