A clinical trial of a drug used for treating lung cancer has revealed “a remarkable advancement”.

As per the trial, the new anti-cancer drug has unveiled that 60% of patients are still alive. Moreover, the cancer did not spread to any other part of the body, according to Interesting Engineering.

The protein anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) plays a prominent role in regulating cell growth. It is produced as a result of the ALK gene. This gene can be rearranged in certain cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Among these, ALK-positive tumors occur in approximately 3% to 5% of cases among these cancers.

The trial’s results revealed that Lorlatinib is a third-generation ALK inhibitor. Used as the standard first-line treatment for patients with ALK-positive NSCLC, it is the latest in a class of drugs.

Led by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia, a recent international clinical trial evaluated the drug’s impact on long-term disease progression in patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC.

Peter Mac’s Professor Ben Solomon, the study’s lead and corresponding author, said in an interview with The Guardian: “To our knowledge, these results are unprecedented.”