Editor’s Note: Lung cancer is the tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality rate in our country. On the morning of May 20, 2016, the State Health Planning Commission released a news report that there are several drugs with a [tinib] in their names. For the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer, there will be a sharp drop in prices and some areas may be included in medical insurance.
Many media reported the news, and at that time patients and their families ran to tell each other. Is this medicine really so good? Can all lung cancer patients take these drugs?
These are what’s magic drugs?
These drugs mentioned in the news are a large category of drugs called [molecular targeted drugs]. They are not newly invented drugs, and have been born for more than 10 years. Molecular targeted drugs have achieved good results in the treatment of advanced lung cancer and other advanced malignant tumors.
As the name implies, molecular targeted drugs use some structures on tumors as [targets]. After patients take this drug, the drug can be directly directed at the target, that is, cancer cells, so that cancer can be treated more efficiently.
Traditional chemotherapy, like a machine gun, shoots human cells for good or bad, thus causing common side effects such as alopecia, nausea and vomiting.
Why can’t such good medicine be used by everyone?
Because these molecular targeted drugs are [arrows] that are directed at these [targets], they are more melodramatic, and they can only be directed at a specific [arrow target].
Therefore, doctors need to carefully evaluate whether there is this [target] on a patient’s tumor before using these drugs.
There are several methods of evaluation. The common method is to take some cancer tissues or cells through surgery, puncture or blood drawing, and do laboratory tests to see if the patient has genes that can be used with this drug and whether it can be treated with this drug.
Research shows that only about 40% of patients in China carry this gene, which means they can use this kind of medicine. The proportion is even lower in European and American races.
What’s more, this treatment is not perfect. Even with this [target], some patients’ tumors still do not respond to this drug, which is medically called [drug resistance]. Doctors are still studying the possible causes, hoping to cooperate with other treatment programs to make up for each other and help patients to the greatest extent possible.
What if the tumor does not have that target?
At present, molecular targeted drugs are still mainly suitable for patients with advanced stage and specific gene mutations. At present, surgery is still emphasized for early and middle stage lung cancer.
Even if surgical treatment is no longer possible, doctors should still follow the advice and carry out standardized chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Many patients can achieve very good results.
Cancer treatment should be cautious. Also don’t be too impatient, do a good job of testing, weigh the cost, spend every sum of money on the blade, so as to maximize the efficiency of tumor treatment.
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