Immunotherapy more effective against lung cancer: Study
Xinhua, June 1, 2015 Adjust font size:
While hundreds of millions of chinese people's lungs would benefit from the new smoking ban, German scientists also got some good news for lung cancer patients.
Lung cancer patients who suffer a relapse survive on average longer if they are treated with an immune-stimulating antibodies as compared to the conventional chemotherapy, said a study on Monday.
The West German Tumor Centre of the Medical Faculty of the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and the Department of Thoracic Oncology at the Ruhrlandklinik were in charge of the study.
A total of 272 patients who had suffered a relapse of squamous lung were examined in the study.
They were treated with the immunostimulatory antibodies Nivolumab and then compared with the previous standard, chemotherapy with docetaxel.
The patient group treated immunotherapeutically had a significantly longer average of survival time.
"This is the first convincing proof of efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer," said Dr. Wilfried Eberhardt, assistant medical director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine of Cancer Research.
"We are currently investigating in clinical trials, how effective immunostimulatory antibody with various advanced cancers are," said Professor Martin Schuler, director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine of Cancer Research. "We are optimistic that in the future many cancer patients will benefit from this new treatment." Endit