Is there a new drug available for lung cancer patients?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Iressa (gefitinib) recently as a treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer in patients whose tumors have not responded to standard treatments. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer in the United States.

Iressa was approved under an FDA program that speeds up the approval process for promising new drugs that have shown they are effective against serious or life-threatening diseases. As part of the program, the company that makes Iressa, AstraZeneca LP, will continue to study the drug's effectiveness.

It is not clearly understood how Iressa fights lung cancer. The drug was developed to block the growth of cancer cells.

In a recent study, 216 lung cancer patients were given Iressa. In 10 percent of the patients, the tumors shrank by 50 percent. The drug was most effective in women and patients with adenocarcinoma (a specific type of non-small cell lung cancer).

Common side effects of Iressa are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, acne, and dry skin. The drug may harm the fetus when given to pregnant women.

Two large studies involving patients newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer showed no benefit from adding Iressa to standard treatments.

Lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths among both men and women in the United States. Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for almost 80 percent of lung cancers.

For more information on Iressa, talk with your doctor or call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER.

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