If you get diagnosed early. before it metasticizes in the brain, the survival rate looks promising. I think that the initial study results were skewed by more serious neurological cases in the original study population. These second generation drugs sure beat the old therapies like Avast from 20 years ago. And untreated, the progression is much faster... 5-6 months is all you can expect.
Also, no radiation or chemo... just pills. It's expensive, but effective.
Hmm. Even my mother's eldest brother has been diagnosed with stage 4 HCC. They are giving him targeted chemo in the form of tablets, i dont know which. But they don't seem very optimistic. She is fortunate to have access to the best medical facilities.
Sorry to hear about your uncle. My wife's treatment is based upon the ALK gene mutation... she's a 90+% match...
ALK is a short name for the anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase gene. This test detects specific rearrangements in the ALK gene in cancer cells and tissue. The presence of these changes makes it more likely that a person with non-small cell lung cancer will respond to a targeted drug therapy.
The ALK gene codes for a protein called anaplastic lymphoma kinase. It is part of a family of proteins called receptor tyrosine kinases that regulate cell growth.
About 4-5% of people who have non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer, have an alteration on chromosome 2 that leads to the fusion of the ALK gene with another gene (fusion partner). The most common ALK fusion partner is a gene called EML4 and results in the production of an EML4-ALK fusion protein. It is a rare mutation most commonly seen in people who have never smoked or are light smokers, especially women of Asian descent.
There are several different methods of testing for ALK mutations, but all of them involve evaluating either the ALK gene rearrangement or the altered ALK protein in tumor tissue.
The ALK gene provides instructions for making a protein called ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, which is part of a family of proteins called receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Receptor tyrosine kinases transmit signals from the cell surface into the cell through a process called signal transduction. The process begins when the kinase is stimulated at the cell surface and then attaches to a similar kinase (dimerizes). After dimerization, the kinase is tagged with a marker called a phosphate group (a cluster of oxygen and phosphorus atoms) in a process called phosphorylation. Phosphorylation turns on (activates) the kinase. The activated kinase is able to transfer a phosphate group to another protein inside the cell, which is activated as a result. The activation continues through a series of proteins in a signaling pathway. These signaling pathways are important in many cellular processes such as cell growth and division (proliferation) or maturation (differentiation).
Although the specific function of ALK receptor tyrosine kinase is unknown, it is thought to act early in development to help regulate the proliferation of nerve cells.
8 comments:
Looks optimistic.
If you get diagnosed early. before it metasticizes in the brain, the survival rate looks promising. I think that the initial study results were skewed by more serious neurological cases in the original study population. These second generation drugs sure beat the old therapies like Avast from 20 years ago. And untreated, the progression is much faster... 5-6 months is all you can expect.
Also, no radiation or chemo... just pills. It's expensive, but effective.
Hmm. Even my mother's eldest brother has been diagnosed with stage 4 HCC. They are giving him targeted chemo in the form of tablets, i dont know which. But they don't seem very optimistic. She is fortunate to have access to the best medical facilities.
Sorry to hear about your uncle. My wife's treatment is based upon the ALK gene mutation... she's a 90+% match...
ALK is a short name for the anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase gene. This test detects specific rearrangements in the ALK gene in cancer cells and tissue. The presence of these changes makes it more likely that a person with non-small cell lung cancer will respond to a targeted drug therapy.
The ALK gene codes for a protein called anaplastic lymphoma kinase. It is part of a family of proteins called receptor tyrosine kinases that regulate cell growth.
About 4-5% of people who have non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer, have an alteration on chromosome 2 that leads to the fusion of the ALK gene with another gene (fusion partner). The most common ALK fusion partner is a gene called EML4 and results in the production of an EML4-ALK fusion protein. It is a rare mutation most commonly seen in people who have never smoked or are light smokers, especially women of Asian descent.
There are several different methods of testing for ALK mutations, but all of them involve evaluating either the ALK gene rearrangement or the altered ALK protein in tumor tissue.
The ALK gene provides instructions for making a protein called ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, which is part of a family of proteins called receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Receptor tyrosine kinases transmit signals from the cell surface into the cell through a process called signal transduction. The process begins when the kinase is stimulated at the cell surface and then attaches to a similar kinase (dimerizes). After dimerization, the kinase is tagged with a marker called a phosphate group (a cluster of oxygen and phosphorus atoms) in a process called phosphorylation. Phosphorylation turns on (activates) the kinase. The activated kinase is able to transfer a phosphate group to another protein inside the cell, which is activated as a result. The activation continues through a series of proteins in a signaling pathway. These signaling pathways are important in many cellular processes such as cell growth and division (proliferation) or maturation (differentiation).
Although the specific function of ALK receptor tyrosine kinase is unknown, it is thought to act early in development to help regulate the proliferation of nerve cells.
It's expensive, given you need 2 pills a day for the rest of your life... but hey, what's a day worth?
It's worth it.
I think so, too.
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