Immunotherapy improves survival rates of lung cancer patients versus chemo alone
Recent research found the chances of survival in patients with lung cancer significantly improves if they are given immunotherapy treatment along with chemotherapy, according to a April 16 study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“What it suggests is that chemotherapy alone is no longer a standard of care,” Leena Gandhi, MD, a leader of the study and director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program at the Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health, told the New York Times.
The study included 616 patients with advanced lung cancer. All had tumors that lacked specific mutations that would have made them eligible for other targeted treatments. Participants were chosen at random to receive chemotherapy and either immunotherapy or placebo.
Follow-up was done at 10.5 months. Results showed those receiving immunotherapy were half as likely to die. For those who did not receive immunotherapy, the median overall survival was 11.3 months. Survival in the immunotherapy group was longer, according to the NYT, but the median has not been reached yet.
The estimated survival at 12 months was 69.2 percent in the group who received immunotherapy, and 49.4 percent in the group who did not.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.