How successful is Tarceva for lung cancer?
On One Hand: Success in specific circumstancesThe Food and Drug Administration has approved erlotinib–a type of cancer drug also known by its brand name, Tarceva–to prevent the growth of cancer cells in specific types of lung cancers. Erlotinib significantly extended overall survival of patients with non small-cell lung cancer and helped control disease progression, according to clinical trial data. Data show that erlotinib had the most success when doctors prescribed it as a first-line therapy, compared to prescribing other drugs first and waiting until they failed to prescribe erlotinib.On the Other: No benefit in other circumstancesClinical trial data analyzing erlotinib’s efficacy when patients took it in combination with other standard therapies for lung cancer showed no benefit, according to data on Tarceva’s website.
