Iressa Information:
What is Iressa? What is Iressa used for??
Iressa (generic name: gefitinib) belongs to a class of medications called EGFR tyrosine kinase Inhibitors. Iressa is used to treat NSCLC (non-small cell lung carcinoma), or in more simple terms, Iressa is used to treat lung cancers arising from cancers that are from non-small cells (approximately 75% of all lung cancers). It is important to note that Iressa will only treat lung cancers which are EGRF mutation positive.
What is lung cancer?? What are the different forms of lung cancer??
Lung cancer like any cancer results from a mutation resulting in rapidly growing cells. Lung cancer is classified between NSCLC (non-small cell lung carcinoma) and SCLC (small cell lung carcinoma). NSCLC is further divided between EGRF positive and negative. As stated above, Iressa will treat forms of NSCLC that are EGRF positive only.
Iressa as a sole agent in the treatment of NSCLC.
Firstly, the patient must determine if their lung cancer is EGFR positive (approximately 10% of non-Asian and 40% of Asian NSCLC patients are EGFR positive). As stated above, Iressa will only work in EGFR positive patients.
Upon stating the above, in some studies, it has been shown that Iressa had a response rate of over 70% in patients with EGFR mutation postive. EGFR positive is most commonly observed in patients who have never smoked, patients with adenocarcinoma histology, females, and patients of Asian origin.
In patients with EGFR negatve status, conventional chemotherapy using a combination of medications is more effective than the use of Iressa.
How does Iressa compare to other more conventional treatments of Lung Cancer?? Does Iressa offer any benefit to other conventional treatments of Lung Cancer??
The most conventional treatment of lung cancer will be chemotherapy, which will usually be a combination of cytotoxic drugs. A combination of these cytotoxic drugs may yield in a larger amount of side effects that the use of Iressa alone.
The potentially greatest advantages of Iressa are the following:
1) it has proved to be more effective than combination treatments in treating a specific form of lung cancer (NSCLC EGRF positive).**
2) As a sole medication in the treatment of lung cancer, it will have fewer side effects than the use of standard combination chemotherapy.
**However, more studies will need to be undertaken to prove the effectiveness of Iressa over combination chemotherapy.
What common side effects can I expect with Iressa?
Iressa, like any other cancer medication, is considered a cytotoxic medication. Iressa will have many side-effects and some potential serious side-effects.
The most common side effects along with their percentage occurrence is listed below.
-diarrhea (46.6%)
-nausea (16.6%)
-stomatitis (13%)
-vomiting (13%)
-paronchyia (13.5) (infection of skin next to a nail)
-anorexia (19%)
-insomnia (14.5%)
-rash (51.9%)
-dry skin (23.9%)
-itch (17.6%)
-acne (11%)
-hair loss (11%)
-liver diseases (increase in liver enzymes) (10%)
Some of the more infrequent yet more serious side effects (occurring between 0.1-1% in patients) are listed below.
-interstitial lung disease
-corneal erosion
-aberrant hair growth
IMPORTANT POINTS
1) Iressa represents a newer alternative treatment for lung cancer. It must only be used under the supervision of a practitioner who is experience in the treatment of cancer.
2) Iressa is a newer sole agent in the treatment of lung cancer. As with all newer medications, the risks versus the benefits of using a newer medication versus a standard proven chemotherapy regimen must be carefully taken into account.
3) Iressa is considered a cytotoxic medication, as with all such medications, the side-effects are extensive and must be carefully monitored.
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