New Drug Shows Promise Against Certain Lung Cancers

For some patients, crizotinib shrank tumors with a particular genetic mutation

October 27, 2010 RSS Feed Print

Researchers are currently enrolling patients for a larger, Phase III clinical trial of crizotinib, Shapiro said. The study was funded by Pfizer, which is developing crizotinib for clinical application, and by grants from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, among others.

Lung cancer remains one of the most deadly cancers and new treatments are desperately needed, the researchers said. "Advanced lung cancer still remains a very lethal disease," Shapiro said. "It's the biggest cancer killer of both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide, and the unmet clinical need is extreme."

More information

Find out more about non-small-cell lung cancer at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.