NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER MARKET ANALYSIS

The risk of adverse side effects associated with lung cancer drugs can hamper the global non-small cell lung cancer market growth. Patients suffering from lung cancer are very vulnerable and even minor side effects can have serious health implications. The oncology drugs used for treating non-small cell lung cancer often come with debilitating side effects like severe nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, hair loss, diarrhea, and others. Some patients may also experience life-threatening side effects such as organ damage, blood clots and even secondary cancers as a result of chemotherapy. These toxic side effects negatively impact the quality of life of patients and lead to poor treatment compliance. The fear of side effects deters many patients from opting for the standard lines of treatment. Several patients discontinue chemotherapy partially or completely due to intolerable side effects. This impacts the clinical outcomes and reduces the efficacy of treatment. In 2021, according to the data published by American Cancer Society, approximately 25-30% of lung cancer patients stop chemotherapy early or change their treatment plan due to side effect issues. This reduces the patient pool opting for standard treatment options. The introduction of newer targeted therapies and immunotherapy drugs has also been slower than expected due to the risk of unknown long-term side effects. Stringent regulatory practices and safety protocols further prolong the drug development and approval timelines.

Market Opportunities: Combination drug therapies

Combination drug therapies can offer opportunity for global non-small cell lung cancer market growth. Using multiple drugs that attack cancer through different mechanisms can help overcome treatment resistance and lead to better outcomes for patients. Existing therapies for non-small cell lung cancer mostly rely on single drugs. While these have helped increase survival rates to some extent, cancer often develops resistances over time. Combination therapies make it harder for cancer cells to mutate in a way that allows them to evade every drug. By using two or more drugs simultaneously, combination therapy aims to block multiple pathways that drive cancer growth and survival. This multi-pronged approach can keep the cancer from developing resistance for longer periods. Promising early studies suggest combination therapies may significantly improve survival. For instance, in 2020, according to the study published by Lancet, combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy increases overall survival by 7 months as compared to chemotherapy alone in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. In 2020, according to the study published by Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, immunotherapy combined with radiation before surgery also demonstrated benefits.