A study published in the July 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that Amgen Inc.’s experimental cancer drug, motesanib diphosphate, proved efficient in the case of people suffering from advanced thyroid cancer that has spread to other sites.

Steven I. Sherman, M.D., chair and professor of M.D. Anderson’s Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders led the study involving 93 rapidly progressing cancer patients who were given motesanib diphosphate. According to findings, 49 of the patients had a positive response to treatment. Of these, 14 percent had their tumors shrink and 35 had their tumors stabilize for more than 24 weeks. Median progression-free survival was about 40 weeks.

The researchers also conducted genetic analyses in 25 patients and discovered that those with a specific mutation known as BRAF V600E in their tumors had a better response to the experimental drug.

“Finding that patients whose tumors bear a particular mutation were more likely to respond to the drug is an example of where we would like to head in our research,” Dr. Sherman said very pleased about the findings, Reuters reports.

Amgen’s drug is a biologic agent that targets receptors on a protein known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by inhibiting it. The VEGF helps in the formation of new blood vessels, a process that allows tumors to grow and spread.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be about 37,000 new cases of thyroid cancer cases in 2008 and 1,600 deaths from the disease this year in the U.S.

The bad news is that “there is no standard accepted chemotherapy for advanced metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer, and response rates have typically been 25 percent or less. Most patients are not treated with systemic chemotherapy because the limited benefit rarely justifies the side effects. Treatment of thyroid cancer has been a completely unmet need,” Dr. Sherman said. Therefore, there is a desperate need to find new treatments for patients suffering from thyroid cancer.

Side effects of motesanib included diarrhea, stroke and very low calcium levels. The drug is also tested against breast and lung cancer.