CHICAGO (AP) – Newer drugs are improving survival for some people with hard-to-treat forms of cancer.
One study in advanced lung cancer tested Keytruda, a drug that helps the immune system fight tumors. Five-year survival was 23% for people who got Keytruda as part of their initial therapy and 16% for those who tried other treatments first. In the past, only 5% of such patients lived that long.
Another study found that adding the drug Kisqali to usual hormone therapy helped young women with the most common type of breast cancer. After about three years, 70% of women given Kisqali were alive versus 46% of others who only received hormone therapy.
The results were featured Saturday and Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago.
