Daily Pill for Lung Cancer Keeps 55% of Patients Free of Progression After Seven Years
The result with lorlatinib is unprecedented in advanced disease, but the drug costs about R$ 37,000 a month and is not covered by the SUS.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
A study of lorlatinib, a once-daily pill, recorded an unprecedented result in advanced lung cancer: after seven years of follow-up, 55% of patients were alive and free of disease progression, according to a g1 report.
The drug only works when the tumor is driven by a specific genetic alteration, the ALK rearrangement, present in about 3% to 7% of cases of the most common type of the disease. For that reason, it is considered a targeted therapy.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Brazil, with 31,237 deaths a year, according to the National Cancer Institute (INCA). For specialists interviewed by g1, the treatment changes the outlook for this group of patients.
The problem is access. The pills cost about R$ 37,000 a month and the drug is not part of the SUS (Brazil's public health system). Those who use it today have health plan coverage, won it in court or pay out of pocket.
The report tells the story of Paula Piteri, who found out she had the disease at 38 and has been taking lorlatinib for almost a year. She says she has regained a sense of the future.