PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved a treatment for patients with advanced-stage gastric cancer. The drug, Opdivo (nivolumab), will be used in combination with two types of chemotherapy for this rare type of cancer.
Dr. Rishi Jain, assistant professor in the department of hematology/oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, says it's for those patients with advanced disease or gastric cancer that has spread. This is for initial treatment of patients with gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
"This study was focusing on the metastatic population and, unfortunately, in the metastatic population, the goal is not cure. It's to extend life and hopefully improve quality of life by reducing symptoms related to the cancer and extend survival as much as possible," Jain said.
He says the average survival time for patients with late-stage or metastatic gastric cancer is only about a year. Patients receiving this immunotherapy drug and chemotherapy added, on average, three additional months.
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