Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Gefitinib Superior to Docetaxel in Asian Patients With Pretreated Advanced NSCLC: Presented at WCLC By Fred Gebhart SAN FRANCISCO -- August 3, 2009 -- A recent meta-analysis suggests that gefitinib is superior to docetaxel in a broad population of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have been previously treated. The benefits of gefitinib are even more striking in patients of Asian origin, said researchers on August 1 here at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). “Many have a love-hate relationship with meta-analysis,” said Frances Shepherd, MD, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. “But meta-analysis gives you greater statistical power and allows you to look at subgroups that you might not be able to study in the individual trials.” Dr. Shepherd and colleagues looked at the 4 existing randomised trials comparing gefitinib with docetaxel in unselected patients with pretreated advanced NSCLC. The 4 trials include the Iressa NSCLC Trial Evaluating Response and Survival Against Taxotere (INTEREST) study; the Second-Line Indication of Gefitinib in NSCLC (SIGN) study; the Iressa as Second-Line Therapy in Advanced NSCLC (ISTANA); and a trial, V-15-32. Meta-analysis allowed researchers to compare the efficacy of gefitinib and docetaxel in 4,373 patients. Of the total population, 1,944 were of Asian origin. Analysis was performed using individual patient data. Gefitinib showed similar overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) when compared with docetaxel in the primary analysis of the entire study population. However, the overall response rate for gefitinib was better than docetaxel (odds ratio [OR], 1.58; P = .002). A secondary analysis produced similar results. Among patients of Asian origin, gefitinib showed a similar OS compared with docetaxel. Gefitinib showed a trend toward longer survival, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = .651). However, gefitinib showed a better PFS (hazard ratio = .83; P = .013) and better overall response rate (OR, 2.52; P < .001) than docetaxel among Asian patients. A secondary analysis produced similar results. “In the Asian subgroups, all of the studies demonstrated the superiority of gefitinib,” Dr. Shepherd said, “although this difference was not always significant. We concluded that given the similar or superior efficacy of gefitinib, its favourable tolerability profile, quality-of-life benefits, and easier oral administration, gefitinib has a very favourable benefit-risk profile compared with docetaxel. This favourable profile is found in both the broad population and in a similar population of Asian origin.” [Presentation title: Gefitinib Versus Docetaxel in Patients With Pretreated Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Meta-Analysis From Four Randomized Clinical Trials. Abstract A2.4] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version