Latest study has revealed that Roche Holding AG's experimental immunotherapy has the ability to significantly increase the chance for survival of patients with an advanced form of lung cancer.

In an official statement released today, the Swiss pharmaceutical company announced the results of its mid-stage trial of the drug codenamed MPDL3280A.

The medication is designed to enhance the immune system in order to block a cancer-causing protein known as Programmed Death receptor (PD-1) and another target named PD-L1 that allows cancer tumors to bypass the body's natural defenses.

Roche researchers discovered that among the 287 participants with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), patients who were treated with MPDL3280A had a 53 percent better survival rate compared to those who were given an older chemotherapy drug called docetaxel.

Patients who were diagnosed with low levels of PD-L1 also showed a slight improvement in their survivability.

The MPDL3280A treatment was well received by the patients' body, and the adverse events observed by the researchers were consistent with those initially recorded for the drug in patients with NSCLC.

"In our study of MPDL3280A in previously treated lung cancer, the amount of PD-L1 expressed by a person's cancer correlated with improvement in survival," Chief Medical Officer Sandra Horning of Roche's Genentech unit said.

"The goal of PD-L1 as a biomarker is to identify people most likely to experience improved overall survival with MPDL3280A alone and which people may be appropriate candidates for a combination of medicines."

She explained that the greater the PD-L1 is expressed during the treatment, the greater the benefit it has for the patient as it prevents the substance from binding with the PD-1 in the body.

Horning also expressed her enthusiasm in seeing the progress they have made in their clinical study.

The Roche researchers are set to present the complete findings of their study during the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) scheduled later this month.

According to Roche, lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the world, killing an average of 1.59 million people each year. It is generally divided into two major types, small cell and non-small-cell lung cancer. NSCLC is the most common type between the two, accounting for around 85 percent of all lung cancer cases.

Photo: Yale Rosen | Flickr