Roche drugs, chemo destroy 46 percent of breast tumors

	Tweet

Combining experimental antibody drug pertuzumab with Herceptin, an antibody first approved in 1998, and chemotherapy shrank tumors in nearly half of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients treated in a clinical trial.

Both of the antibody drugs are made by Roche Holding AG.

The 417 women in the midstage trial received four cycles of therapy before they underwent surgery.

The three-drug combination eradicated tumors in 46 percent of the patients, which is 50 percent more than was seen with the standard therapy of Herceptin plus chemotherapy, Dr. Luca Gianni, director of medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Milan, Italy, and the trial’s lead investigator said in a statement.

He also said combining the two antibody drugs alone eliminated the tumor in 17 percent of cases.

The study results were presented on Friday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Both antibodies are designed to block the function of HER2, a protein produced by a specific gene with cancer-causing potential that is generated in about 25 percent of breast cancers. Because the drugs bind to different regions of the HER2 receptor, researchers aim for more complete blockage of the pathway.

Researchers said the combination therapy was not associated with a significant increase in side effects or cardiac risk.

Investigators are working on a follow-up trial to see how well the three-drug combination works for women who have already undergone surgery to have their breast cancer tumors removed.

Results from a pivotal trial looking at the combination of pertuzumab, Herceptin and chemotherapy as a first-line treatment in people with HER2-positive breast cancer are expected by the end of next year.

U.S. sales of Herceptin last year were $1.4 billion, while global sales were 5.26 billion Swiss francs ($5.33 billion).

$1 = 0.9863 Swiss franc

(Reporting by Deena Beasley, editing by Matthew Lewis)

###

(Reuters)

RELATED STORIES:
High insulin levels raise risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women   Study identifies 1 of the mechanisms behind breast cancer metastasis   Scientists find new gene links to breast cancer   Chemotherapy may not affect memory in breast cancer patients   Mutation quadruples repeat breast cancer risk   Study suggests newer breast cancer drug may protect heart   Radiation After Mastectomy Underused   Combo therapy slows breast cancer progression   Soy Food Linked to Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence and Death   Exercise reduces fatigue after breast cancer   Pricey scans have no impact in breast cancer: study   Soy in childhood may reduce breast cancer risk   Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women’s Breast Cancer Risk   Researchers Finding New Ways to Prevent, Diagnose and Treat Breast Cancer   Intervention Program Boosts Survival in Breast Cancer Patients   Mom should not hide her cancer from the kids   Breast cancer gene tests backlog   Scientists identify ‘gatekeepers’ of breast cancer transition to invasive disease   Elevated-risk women refuse MRI breast cancer screening   Breast cancer: To screen or not to screen?   Certain Breast Cancer Patients May Nix Node Surgery   Racial discrimination tied to breast cancer risk

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]