In Italy, the lung cancer strikes every year over 40,000 people, representing the first cause of oncological death in men and the second in women, also because lung cancer is often already in an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. This is due to a delay in recognizing symptoms, which are generally non-specific. Being able to promptly recognize the type of mutation is essential to follow the patient with the most appropriate therapy, from the early stages of diagnosis and not only in the subsequent lines of therapy.
«The need to research and distinguish the different variants is essential, as each of them can be associated with a different therapy, in the first line, as well as in subsequent treatment lines. Genetic tests, especially Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), prove to be a key tool not only for a correct diagnosis, but also for a personalized therapeutic approach» he explains Silvia NovelloProfessor of medical oncology at the Oncology Department of the University of Turin, Head of the Simple Departmental Structure of Thoracic Oncology at the AOU “San Luigi Gonzaga” in Orbassano, President of WALCE – Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe.
The early diagnosis it is also essential for rarer forms of the disease, such as that caused by a EGFR gene mutation, present in 15 percent of patients with lung cancer, equal to six thousand people. In one in ten cases, the mutation in the EGFR gene is an insertion in exon 20, a group of uncommon mutations on a protein that causes cells to grow rapidly and as a result helps cancer spread.
For people with this type of cancer it is now also available in Italy amivantamabthe first specific therapy that allows you to significantly prolong l’life expectancy of patients. «These patients have so far had few therapeutic options available, not only in terms of number, but also in terms of effectiveness. In this context, the arrival of amivantamab in Italy is an important milestone because it represents the first specific therapy for patients with this type of lung cancer” he confirms Filippo de Marinis, Director of the Division of Thoracic Oncology, Deputy Director of the Lung Cancer Program at the IEO in Milan. “Clinical trials conducted with this drug have shown superiority over standard therapies for this tumor in terms of efficacy, allowing patients’ life expectancy to double.”
«This new therapy represents hope for all those who suffer from this type of lung cancer, both in terms of lengthening the life expectancy and improving the quality of life. We hope that these innovative, increasingly targeted and effective treatments will be made available quickly to all patients who need them” he comments Bruno AratriPresident of the IPOP Association – Together for Pulmonary Oncology Patients.
In the video:
Silvia NOVELLO
Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Turin
Filippo de MARINIS
Director of the IEO Thoracic Oncology Division in Milan
Bruno ARATRI
President of the IPOP Association – Together for Pulmonary Oncology Patients