TUESDAY, Aug. 3, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Scientists may have found a way to help predict the response of lung cancer patients to treatment with the new cancer drug gefitinib (Iressa), says an Italian study in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study found that use of the drug was associated with a better response in people with non-smallcell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumor cells contain a specific activated signaling pathway (P-Akt).
Cells have multiple signaling pathways that control their behavior, including the ability to survive and divide at a rapid rate.
"Our findings suggest that gefitinib therapy is more active in patients with tumors that are positive for P-Akt than in those with tumors that are negative for P-Akt. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the role of other associated markers," the study authors wrote.
More information
The American Lung Association has more about lung cancer.
