Extends the new treatment of life of patients with lung cancer

MEXICO

Combination chemotherapy-immunotherapy a new treatment in Mexico against lung cancer, increases the life expectancy of patients with this disease said Omar Macedo Pérez, medical oncologist badigned to the thoracic clinic of the National Cancer Institute (INCAN).

When treating patients with lung cancer as part of this clinical protocol, it is possible to obtain a lasting benefit. means that the disease has been controlled for years. "

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In an interview with Notimex, pointed out that hope of life of patients was increased to 50% .

He warned that lung cancer was a global health problem caused not only by tobacco but also by chronic exposure to wood smoke and other pollutants . "Globally, it is linked in a 85% to smoking but in Mexico, the numbers are different, we have a at 55% related to smoking and a 45% respond to other causes . "

Regretted that in Mexico nearly 80% of lung cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage which means that the patient is not a candidate for treatment.

We need to provide treatment that controls disease, improves symptoms, and makes patients live longer, "he said.

There are currently three strategies for controlling lung cancer: the traditional, which is a chemotherapy ; Blank Therapies in which drugs or other substances are used to identify and combat specific types of cancer cells and which cause less damage to normal cells, which badociates chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

The treatment changes according to a test applied to the patient called molecular profile which consists in detecting very specific mutations such as EGFR, ALK; when they are detected, a white therapy is applied – type of treatment, in which drugs or other substances are used to identify and fight specific types of cancer cells, and which cause less damage to normal cells, Which is a therapy that blocks these mutations.

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If the patient does not have these mutations, which are presented by one in four, The next parameter we badyze is called TDL1 ; this one guides us to know what treatment we will apply if we give him immunotherapy or if we give him a combination of chemotherapy with immunotherapy.

To understand this last treatment, it is important to point out that more than a month ago, James P Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2018 for their discovery of cancer treatment by regulating the immune system.

Their work was essential to demonstrate the real potential of immunotherapy as a treatment. against cancer and a starting point for the development of new clinical trials on patients.

What they discovered is precisely how they defend themselves from immune cells. which specifically attack these defense mechanisms against cancer. The immune system goes into action to attack tumor cells . This is exactly what immunotherapy currently is, "explained Macedo Pérez.

In 1945, immunotherapy was approved for patients with lung cancer. In INCAN, 400 new cases of lung are treated each year and the corresponding clinical protocols are applied to determine the type of treatment.

Risk factors, said the specialist, in addition to smoking, are: chronic exposure to wood smoke, environmental contamination and chronic lung infections, it is therefore recommended before any persistent cough lasting four weeks or more, consult a pulmonologist to study the lungs.

if the patient has a persistent cough, chest pain a cough with a bloody sputum, there are symptoms suggesting that he has a disease and that requires evaluation by a pulmonologist or internist.

* JVR