Tarceva: improve the survival of advance and non small cell lung cancer patients

It talk about Tarcevacompared to placebo.
In year 2004, The U.S Food and Drug AdministrationFor those patient’s tumours did not have an
(FDA) approved a Tarceva for the treatment ofEGFR mutation, It show a 30% improvement in
advance non small cell lung cancer, a pill to treat asurvival. The majority of patients with NSCLC do not
lung cancer patient. Tarceva was approved forhave EGFR mutation and are known as EGFR
patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer,wild-type.
who have failed to respond to at least one prior ofTarceva is a small molecule inhibitor of the epidermal
chemotherapy. Scientist study shows that it delayedgrowth factor receptor (EGFR), is currently marketed
the progression of advanced lung cancer and livefor the lung cancer treatment of patients with locally
longer when use as a single agent, those patientsadvanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer
who did not progress following first line treatment.(2nd line NSCLC) after the first line treatment failure
Scientist study showing that Tarceva extended theof at least one prior chemotherapy regimen and
patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer apancreatic cancer.
clinical trials by a median of 6.7 months compared to Previously, Tarceva had competed with
4.7 months for patients who got a placebo , 31AstraZeneca’s drug Geftinib, Geftinib (Iressa)
percent of the patients taking tarceva were still alivedrug was approved for the same treatment. But the
compared to 22 percent of those taking the placebo.drug show in a study was unsuccessful in improving
Patients with non small cell lung treat with Tarcevasurvival. Gefitinib is non longer an active option for
had a 23%improvement in overall survival comparednon-small cell lung cancer patients.
with patients who received placebo. Based on SaturnRecently, based on Roche Group  study show that
date show that patients with advanced non small cellpatients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
lung cancer (NSCLC) who received Tarceva as a(NSCLC) who received Avastin  (bevacizumab) and
first-line maintenance treatment had a 41%Tarceva  (erlotinib) as combined first-line
improvement in the time they lived without themaintenance treatment had show positive result with
disease advancing (progression-free survival or PFS) 39 %t improvement.