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AZN Genetic link seen in cancer drug's power - NY Times (47.39 )

The New York Times reports that two groups of scientists say people with a genetic mutation in their lung cancer tumors improve sharply when given a drug called Iressa. Stories about rescues from death's door have given hope to tens of thousands of cancer patients who have tried Iressa, made by AstraZeneca. But, maddeningly, only about one in 10 of them benefit significantly. And doctors have been unable to predict which patients will win this rare reprieve. Now two groups of scientists say they have the answer: The people who improve sharply have a genetic mutation in their tumors that makes their disease highly vulnerable to the drug. The discovery represents a crack in the genetic armor of lung cancer, which kills about 160K Americans a year. It also points the way to what many experts say is the future of cancer care: drugs tailored for patients based on the genetics of their tumors. "Previously lung cancer had been a more or less intractable disease," said Dr. Matthew Meyerson, an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a leader of one of the research groups. "Now there's a subset that responds. This gives hope for new treatments."