Domestic treatment plan, innovative drug boost lung cancer treatment
Dr Lu Shun from Shanghai Chest Hospital is the leading expert on the research on using a new modality and a new combination of a domestically-made innovative medicine plus traditional chemotherapy on lung cancer patients.
A research led by medical experts using a new modality and a new combination of a domestically-made innovative medicine plus traditional chemotherapy on lung cancer patients has helped reduce the risk of relapse, development or death by 60 percent.
Nearly half of patients using the innovative treatment plan and innovative medicine plus traditional chemotherapy during the trial reported a significant remission (the cancerous cell was only 10 percent of the previous) and one fourth reported a complete remission (no cancerous cells), six times and 25 times higher, respectively, than when using just chemotherapy.
It is China's first immunotherapy research on perioperative period for lung cancer patients. Based on the positive result of the trial research, the National Medical Products Administration also offered a quick approval of Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co Ltd's toripalimab for the perioperative period treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
Toripalimab is completely domestically-developed cancer drug, which is a next-generation, programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody that enables the immune system to activate and kill tumors.
The study's leading expert Dr Lu Shun from Shanghai Chest Hospital said the research provides a new treatment theory for lung cancer patients and offers great hope for patients with regional cancerous development.
The randomized and double-blind research was conducted in 56 medical centers across China with the participation of 501 patients in stage-II and stage-III resectable non-small cell lung cancer.
Traditionally, such patients receive chemotherapy and surgery. However, about 30 to 50 percent still suffer post-surgery relapse, development and even death.
"Our research designed an innovative modality on the combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy to achieve a whole-process management before, during and after surgery," Lu said.
"More patients have a chance to undergo surgery to completely remove the cancer under our new modality. The most encouraging result is that one fourth of patients have no cancerous cell and they can achieve long-term survival after follow-up treatment and management."
The research was published by world-leading The Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday.
The research was published by world-leading The Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday.
