When used in conjunction with chemotherapy, a new treatment has been shown to increase life-span by five weeks among lung cancer patients.

A study released last week indicates that the drug Erbitux, created by ImClone Systems Inc, can both help lung cancer survival and decrease tumor size when used with chemotherapy treatments. The study involved 1,125 patients; overall survival was 11.3 months for patients on the combination therapy, compared with 10.1 months for the group receiving just chemotherapy. Tumors shrunk in 36.3 percent of patients treated with Erbitux, also known as cetuximab, compared with 29.2 percent of patients on chemotherapy alone, according to a statement from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Prior to the publication of these promising results, the only non-chemo treatment for lung cancer had been Genentech Inc's Avastin, which combats non-small cell lung cancer.

Erbitux is an antibody already approved for treating colorectal as well as head and neck cancers. It is designed to block a protein called epidermal growth factor, and has so far exhibited only minor side effects. The most common complaint among trial participants was the appearance of an acne-like rash, seen among 10.4% of patients using the combination therapy, compared to .2% of patients receiving only chemo.

For more information, click here.

What is the difference between lung cancer and mesothelioma? This is a common question in the minds of many patients, especially after a diagnosis.

Lung cancer and mesothelioma, though similar, are not the same disease. Lung cancer forms in the lung tissue itself, whereas mesothelioma is a cancer that forms in the lung lining.

There are two main types of primary lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. Small cell lung cancer is named for the tiny size of the tumor cells: most of the cell is occupied by its nucleus. This type of lung cancer spreads very rapidly, so it is typically treated with chemotherapy. Small cell lung cancer is linked very closely with smoking. It is rare for non-smokers to develop this type of cancer.

There are a few kinds of non-small cell lung cancers, but they are all physiologically similar. They respond to treatment differently than small cell lung cancer, and they account for about 85% of all lung cancer cases. Non-small cell lung cancers include:

-Squamous cell carcinoma: linked very closely to smoking and develops in the lung airways

-Adenocarcinoma: develops in the outerairways and the glandular secretory tissue

-Large cell and undifferentiated carcinoma: can develop in any part of the lung

Secondary lung cancer is the term given to cancer that has spread from other organs to the lungs. Because of the high blood supply there, cancers can easily move to the lungs.

Treatments for mesothelioma and lung cancer can sometimes be the same. The drug Alimta, for example, can be used to treat both mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancers.

To learn more about mesothelioma, click here. For more information on lung cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute website.