- A new study, supported by the National Cancer Institute and AstraZeneca, reports promise in treating people with non-small cell lung cancer with durvalumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug.
- The study included participants with limited mobility, a population typically not included in clinical trials.
- While survival rates for people with lung cancer can be low, experts say the findings provide some hope.
A new study is reporting on the benefits of an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug in treating the most common form of lung cancer.
Researchers from the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh say that an immune checkpoint inhibitor known as durvalumab may help improve overall survival for people with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The research, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, was
The study’s senior author went in-depth with Medical News Today on the significance of these findings while an outside expert hailed the study as groundbreaking.
Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer and is the
Early detection and treatment boosts
Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as durvalumab, which is sold under the brand name Imfinzi, work in essence by removing the brakes from the body’s immune system.
“It allows the release of checkpoints, so to speak, of a patient’s immune system and allows that patient’s own immune system to help their body fight the cancer,” explained Dr. Liza Villaruz, a senior study author and an associated professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and co-leader of the Immunotherapy and Drug Development Center at UPMC Hillman.
These drugs differ significantly from chemotherapy – another common treatment for cancers – because chemotherapy attacks cancer cells directly while immune checkpoint inhibitors engage the…
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