Lung cancer research news.

• Position: Medical Update - Brief Article

The experimental cancer drug Alimta shows promise in treating a common form of lung cancer. Pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company recently reported the new findings at a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

With over 175,000 Americans diagnosed with lung cancer each year, Dr. Nasser Hanna, an assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine who presented the study data, said the potential availability of a new drug is "exciting."

Earlier studies show the drug lengthened the lives of patients with a rare type of lung cancer called mesothelioma. The aggressive cancer of the lung lining is linked to a history of asbestos exposure.

In the new study, Alimta proved as effective as Taxotere, the only approved drug to treat recurring cases of non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, Alimta caused far fewer side effects among the 571 lung cancer patients studied.

"Patients with cancer who are being treated in the second-line setting must heavily...