Has a scientific breakthrough taken place in the advancement of breast cancer treatment? Every year in France, 59,000 women are affected by breast cancer. But a targeted drug – the capivasertib from AstraZeneca – combined with hormone therapy already used in the treatment of advanced breast cancer could become the gold standard treatment for women with advanced breast cancer, according to the company. For now, the clinical trial is in progress and will have to be confirmed.
The drug – currently in a phase 3 trial – has reportedly shown results”fantastic”, according to the lab’s statement, including reducing the size of tumors and doubling the time patients have before their disease progresses. All of the people who took part in this trial had seen their disease come back or progress on standard hormone treatment. They were thus divided into two groups: 355 received treatment with capivasertib and hormone therapy and 353 received a placebo with hormone therapy.
According to results presented on December 8, 2022 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, a median of 7.2 months without progression of the disease was seen in people who received the treatment, compared to 3.6 months in people who received a placebo. There tumor size was also reduced by 23% in the first group, compared to 12% in the placebo group.
Given twice a day on an intermittent schedule – four days on and three days off – the drug also blocks the activity of a protein molecule called AKT.
Live longer and better with breast cancer
If findings are primarily in estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 HER-2 negative breast cancer (which account for approximately 70% of all new breast cancer cases), treatment has also been shown to be effective in more than four out of 10 patients with an AKT molecule mutation. These mutations can lead to the development of cancer and at the same time resistance to treatment.
“Even with today’s best treatments, people with the advanced type of breast cancer will eventually see their cancer stop responding to treatment, and it will progress.”, regrets Professor Nick Turner, head of the trial. “We are excited that this potential first-in-class drug, combined with hormone therapy, can slow the progression of these advanced cancers and, in nearly a third of cases, shrink tumors..”
“We believe this new treatment could help more women and men live well and live longer with breast cancer..” AstraZeneca even hopes eventually use this medicine for other types of cancers.
Source :
- Capivasertib plus FASLODEX® (fulvestrant) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 40% versus FASLODEX in advanced HR-positive breast cancer, AstraZeneca, December 8, 2022
