By Naciha.ma
Tests of an
early-stage breast cancer treatment have shown it reduces the risk of
recurrence by 25 percent, according to the results of a large clinical trial
published Friday, raising hope for many patients.
The preliminary
findings were revealed at the largest annual conference of cancer specialists,
hosted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
University of Chicago
oncologist Rita Nanda, who was not involved in the work, commented on the
findings, saying that "this is a very important clinical trial that will
change doctors' practices."
The treatment, called
ribociclib, was developed by Novartis against the most common breast cancer
(called HR+/HR2-).
This therapy is
already used (with hormone therapy) in patients with advanced stage cancer with
metastases.
The goal of this new study was to test this
drug for early-stage cancers (1 to 3).
Management of the
disease generally includes surgical interventions, radiation therapy, and
possibly chemotherapy, followed by years of hormone therapy..
Despite this,
"one-third of patients with stage II breast cancer (...) They will
recur," said University of California oncologist Dennis Salmon, who
presented the findings at a news conference. The disease can recur within two
to three decades after diagnosis..
More than 5,000 people participated in the
clinical trial, half of whom took ribociclip therapy and hormones, and the
other half received hormone therapy alone..
According to
preliminary results, the risk of recurrence was reduced by 25% in the group
receiving treatment with ribocyclib..
Ribociclib works by
targeting proteins (CDK4 and CDK6) that affect the growth of cancer cells.
Two other types of
CDK protein inhibitor therapies, Palbusiclib and Epimaciclip, are also approved
for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Epimaciclib has also
recently been approved in the United States to treat the disease in its early
stages, but only for women at risk of recurrence in which lymph nodes are also
affected.
Ribociclip can be an option for women who
don't have lymph nodes affected, according to Rita Nanda.
"There is
probably a lot of discussion about the level of benefit for patients, the type
of side effects, and the patients who have a real benefit to using this type of
drug for prevention," said Jean-Yves Berga, head of the Department of
Medical Oncology at the Curie-Jean-Yves Berga Institute, during a separate
press conference.
Every year, more than two million people
worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer, which causes more than 600,000
deaths annually. Most diagnoses are made at an early stage.