Award-winning medic Natasha Tiffany, MD, practices at the Oregon Oncology Specialists office in Salem, Oregon. Focused on providing quality medical care to patients with cancer, Natasha Tiffany, MD, recommends immunotherapy treatments. According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, immunotherapy coupled with chemotherapy at the onset of lung cancer can drastically increase the survival time of patients. However, the positive results apply to less than half of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. In the study, researchers included 616 patients from around the world. Of this group, 400 received the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, sold as Keytruda, while the rest received only chemotherapy. Researchers found that patients who underwent both immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatment had a 48-percent reduction in the chances of the lung cancer's progression, and death. They also found that median survival – the life expectancy for 50 percent of patients - doubled from 12 months with chemotherapy alone, to 24 months with both immunotherapy and chemotherapy. According to Dr. Leena Gandhi, lead researcher of the study, the findings show that chemotherapy alone is not a sufficient standard of care. Patients with non-small cell lung cancer should receive both immunotherapy and chemotherapy as early as possible.
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AuthorNatasha Tiffany, MD, is a physician, educator, and research scientist currently working in Oregon. A Partner and Physician in a private practice located in the state’s capital city of Salem, Dr. Tiffany teaches at her alma mater, Oregon Health & Science University, where she is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division. Archives
October 2019
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