How long does Xtandi extend life?

Xtandi (enzalutamide) is a hormone therapy used for treating advanced prostate cancer.

• Treatment with Xtandi resulted in a median overall survival time of 18.4 months compared with 13.6 months in the placebo recipients.
• Treatment with Xtandi extended life by almost 5 months.

https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/long-xtandi-enzalutamide-work-3554743/

Lilly stomach cancer drug extends survival vs placebo

• The overall survival among patients treated with the Lilly drug in the study was 5.2 months, compared with 3.8 months for those who received a placebo.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lilly-cancer-idUSBRE90M04E20130123

Effect of Fruquintinib vs Placebo on Overall Survival in Patients With Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

• Median overall survival was significantly prolonged with fruquintinib compared with placebo – 9.3 months vs 6.6 months. (note: prolong survival of 2.7 months).
• Median progression-free survival was also significantly increased with fruquintinib – 3.7 months  vs 1.8 months (note: extend progression-free survival for 2.9 months).

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2685988

“Landmark” study shows breast cancer drug Xeloda can extend lives

• In one study, Xeloda cut patients’ risk of relapse or death by 30 percent over five years.
• 74 percent of patients were still alive and recurrence-free, versus 68 percent of women who’d received placebo pill.
• Ask this: The difference is only 6% – why do we need to massage the data to become 30%?

In another study – only one group received Xeloda, while women in the other group were given placebo pills. The treatment was given in six or eight three-week “cycles,” with two weeks on the drug, one week off.

• Five years later, 89% of Xeloda patients were still alive, compared with just under 84% of placebo patients.
• The difference? Only 5%. Great achievement?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breast-cancer-drug-xeloda-can-extend-lives-landmark-study/

Why Don’t More New Cancer Drugs Help Patients Live Longer?

• Researchers say many new cancer drugs don’t improve life or increase lifespan. 
• There’s no clear evidence that most new cancer drugs extend or improve life.
• According to a research team in London, when drugs do show survival gains over other treatments, those gains are often marginal.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-dont-more-new-cancer-drugs-help-patients-live-longer

Watch this video: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2019/09/13/our-wonderful-reunion-with-ella-in-singapore/