Taken orally once or twice a day, it interferes with an on-switch for cancer growth caused by an acquired genetic defect, known as tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) fusions. The 55 patients ranged in age from four months to 76 years, and entered the trial from 2015 to 2017. “A total of 13% of the patients (seven patients) had a complete response, 62% (34) had a partial response,” said the report. If larotrectinib gains approval for wider use, it could treat thousands of patients with these forms of cancer around the world. TRK fusions are found in a range of cancer types but tend to be unusual in common cancers, occurring in between 0.2% and 3% of cases.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 22, 2018 02:03 UTC