Lung Cancer
BiPar Sciences initiated a Phase 3 clinical study of iniparib, the United States Adopted Name (USAN) for the investigational PARP1 inhibitor, BSI-201, in advanced squamous cell lung cancer in March 2010. For more information about the clinical study in squamous cell lung cancer, please click on clinical trials.Lung cancer results from uncontrolled growth of cells in the tissues of the lungs. Development of tumors in the lung can impede the function of the lung, which provides oxygen to the body.
Lung cancer is the second leading cause of death among men and women in the U.S. In 2008, an estimated 215,000 new patients in the U.S. were diagnosed with lung cancer, and 162,000 people died of the disease. Eighty-five percent of lung cancer patients die of the disease within five years of initial diagnosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 85 percent of all lung cancers are in people who smoke or who have smoked.
Symptoms of lung cancer vary depending on the type, location, and size of the tumor. Some lung cancer symptoms are similar to those of other common illnesses. Early diagnosis of lung cancer remains difficult because many patients do not exhibit symptoms until the disease has advanced into late stages. More than three quarters of lung cancer patients are diagnosed after their disease has spread to other parts of their body.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases. Squamous cell lung cancer is a subtype of NSCLC, accounting for approximately 25-30% of all lung cancer cases. The primary cause of squamous cell lung cancer is cigarette smoking, although rare cases do occur in nonsmokers as well. It is a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer for which treatment advances to-date have been limited.
Treatment options for lung cancer vary depending on the kind and stage of the disease. If the disease is caught early, surgery is generally an option. Chemotherapy, with or without radiation, and targeted therapies are commonly used in the treatment of lung cancer.
BiPar Sciences is evaluating iniparib as a potential new targeted therapy for lung cancer.
For more information about BiPar Sciences' clinical trial in squamous cell lung cancer, visit clinicaltrials.gov or call the BiPar Sciences Call Center at 1-866-668-2232.
For more information about lung cancer, please visit
National Cancer Institute
National Institutes of Health
American Society of Clinical Oncologists
American Cancer Society: "All About Lung Cancer - Non-small cell"