Friday, September 28, 2018 – Today the Food and Drug Administration approved VIZIMPRO tablets (dacomitinib) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutation. Approval was based on a randomized trial that showed a significant improvement in progression-free survival for patients who received VIZIMPRO compared to the standard-of-care treatment. VIZIMPRO, an EGFR inhibitor targeted therapy, is an oral drug that is taken once a day.
The following treatments are approved for first-line treatment of NSCLC with an EGFR mutation: GILOTRIF (afatinib), IRESSA (gefitinib), TAGRISSO (osimertinib), TARCEVA (erlotinib), VIZIMPRO (dacomitinib).
If I have colon cancer cells moving to my lungs, do I now have lung cancer?
When colon cancer metastasizes (travels outside the colon, usually to another organ like the lungs) it is still considered colon cancer even though it is showing up in the lungs. The lesions in the lungs are colon cancer, not primary lung cancer. Treatment would be for (metastatic) colon cancer, not lung cancer.
Here are a few resources for people living with colon cancer:
Colorectal Cancer Alliance: Support and Information
https://www.ccalliance.org/colorectal-cancer-information/what-is-colorectal-cancer
Information on Colorectal Cancer—Patient Version – National Cancer Institute
https://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal
CancerCare: Support
https://www.cancercare.org/diagnosis/colorectal_cancer
If you have any further questions, please contact our support staff via our HelpLine at 1-800-298-2436 or by email at support@lungcanceralliance.org.