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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 However, there were significant differences in the side effects experienced by the treatment groups. For patients taking Iressa, the most common side effects were rash or acne. Among patients receiving docetaxel, the most common side effects were a blood disorder called neutropenia, personality disorders, and hair loss.
Dr. Michael Cullen, from the University Hospital Birmingham in the United Kingdom and author of an accompanying journal comment, noted that Iressa works differently than chemotherapy by targeting a receptor that is present in some patient's cancer cells.
"There are now two options that one can select from for patients in order to offer treatment that helps a bit following failure of first-line chemotherapy," Cullen said. "Survival overall is very poor, and, in fact, it's almost certainly the case that only a small minority of patients respond to either of the two treatments."
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In addition, which patients would benefit most from Iressa isn't known, Cullen said. "In the study, tests didn't indicate that we are able to select treatment based on different characteristics of the patient."
Because survival time is short, Cullen thinks that doctors may want to decide which treatment to use based on how well a patient tolerated chemotherapy before.
"If they didn't tolerate chemotherapy very well, maybe the oncologist would opt for the oral therapy, whereas if they responded well to chemotherapy, the best choice might be to go with the chemotherapy," Cullen said.
More information
For more on lung cancer, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
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