(NBC News) Two new studies find immunotherapy could be the new standard of care for lung cancer patients who are often diagnosed after their disease has spread.
Researchers have found the drug Keytruda, when given along with standard chemotherapy, cut the risk of dying from the disease in half compared with chemo alone.
Patients in the study had advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type.
The findings could prompt doctors to use immunotherapy as a first line of treatment for lung cancer, despite a hefty price tag of $13,000 per month.
A separate study looked at different immunotherapy drugs Opdivo and Yervoy.
They worked better than chemotherapy at slowing the cancer's progression, but it's unclear if they also allow people to live longer.