An expensive drug against a form of lung cancer, the so-called EGFR mutation, is not always the best choice. This has emerged from a study by the pulmonologists of the MCL hospital in collaboration with the IKNL (Integraal Cancer Center of the Netherlands).
The results of the study have now been published in The Lancet, the leading journal for publications in medical science.
It is a publication that pulmonologists are proud of. “It’s really important. We know that a lot of people read this and then you have a wide scope. We have set it up so that it is also accessible to everyone. So not behind a paywall.”
Rolof Gijtenbeek is doing PhD research. He wanted to know whether the drug that is now being used to treat that particular form of lung cancer was actually effective. “It is an expensive medicine. A treatment costs 200 euros per day. It is about providing the right care at the right time,” said Gijtenbeek, who has been affiliated with the MCL since 2020 as a pulmonologist.
That is why it was examined whether it also makes a difference whether older, but cheaper medicines also work. Gijtenbeek: “What we now see is that people who use the old medicines show little difference in survival compared to the new ones.”
It itself gives more options: “You can start the treatment with the old medicines. If they no longer work, you can switch to the more expensive, newer medicines. If you start with the more expensive, the rest is only chemotherapy. You can imagine that people find it very hard.”
The goal is to see if the approach can work to extend life: “That is certainly the goal. This form of lung cancer is a kind of chronic disease. In the future, we may be able to ensure that people live longer.”
What also becomes clear with the study is that independent research into the use of medicines is important. The pharmaceutical industry only shows the good effects of the new drug. That is not always the right option. “That also keeps healthcare affordable,” says Gijtenbeek.