Toxic air to blame for lung cancer; no longer just a smoker's disease

Smokers and non-smokers now represent an equal number of lung cancer patients, according to a study carried out by the Lung Care Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation focused on improving lung health in India. An analysis of 150 patients at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), New Delhi, found that close to 50 per cent of patients with lung cancer–the type of cancer responsible for the highest number of cancer deaths nationwide–had never smoked, and yet had developed the pulmonary disease. Health professionals in India now believe there is strong evidence that points to the role of air pollution in the increasing incidence of lung cancer amongst the young and female populations. “This is the first time I have seen this 1:1 ratio of smokers to non-smokers suffering from lung cancer”, Arvind Kumar, chairman, centre for chest surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, told IndiaSpend. “Looking at this data, the obvious reason that comes to mind is air pollution, which contains smoke and PM 2.5.”

Roche win boosts case for adding chemo to cancer immunotherapy

Cancer doctors struggling to work out the best way to use modern immunotherapy drugs now have further evidence of the benefits of adding them to chemotherapy, despite earlier scepticism.

News that Roche's immune system-boosting drug Tecentriq delayed lung cancer progression when given alongside chemo and its older drug Avastin validates the approach for the first time in a large Phase III clinical trial.

It is a significant milestone for physicians, patients and investors, who are trying to assess the competitive landscape as drugmakers race to develop better ways to fight tumours in previously untreated lung cancer.

Lung cancer is by far the biggest oncology market and first-line treatment provides access to the most patients, opening up potential annual sales forecast by some analysts at $20 billion.

Roche and Merck & Co have led the way in pioneering so-called "chemo-combo" treatment, while AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers are betting primarily on mixing two immunotherapies. AstraZeneca notably failed to show a similar benefit in a high-profile clinical trial in July.
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