Advanced Melanoma Cancer Drug Provides Double Benefit

As per a research, which has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it has been revealed that a new drug has come in the US and Australia markets which is quite effective in treating advanced melanoma cancer and also increases the patients’ life span.

The US and Australian regulators have green signal to the drug known vemurafenib last year when they realized that the drug is beneficial in reducing the tumor. In many instances, the cancer has also stopped growing.

The study authors were from the US and Australia and were from prestigious institutions like the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, the University of Newcastle, and the Westmead Institute for Cancer Research and the Melanoma Institute Australia.

The study researchers were of the view that no drug has shown such good results in last 10 or more years. It is the first drug for advanced melanoma cancer which has shown great results.

They assessed cancer patients medical filed and found that a person has maximum 10 months to survive after being diagnosed with advanced stage melanoma cancer. However, patients who have been treated with vemurafenib were able to live for more than 16 months.

“This study confirms what we have discovered in our earlier trials. Many of our patients are exhibiting a strong, immediate response to this drug and some are living significantly longer, with manageable side effects”, said Jeffrey Sosman, who is Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The research which was conducted at more than 12 institutions has revealed that more than 50% of the cancer patients have responded well to the drug treatment. However, it has not been proven that the drug is 100% effective as few patients have not responded to the drug.

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Submitted by Cindy Tweed