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Younger women with breast cancer have had the hope of living longer after what is described as "one of the greatest advances in breast cancer research over the past decade." of the last decades ".
The addition of ribociclib, a targeting drug that disrupts cancer cells, to standard hormone therapy has been found to stimulate survival in premenopausal patients with advanced forms of the disease.
The risk of death has been reduced by almost a third compared to people treated with hormone therapy alone, according to the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
"This is great news for patients and their families," said Lady Delyth Morgan, Executive Director of Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now.
The research, led by Dr. Sara Hurvitz of the University of California at Los Angeles, involved 672 postmenopausal women under age 59 with hormone-receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer.
Patients were assigned either to ribociclib, which targets and interferes with the processes in cells that cause cancer growth, or to a placebo. All women also received hormonal treatment.
After 42 months, 70% of those treated with combination therapy were still alive, compared with 46% of those who had just received hormone therapy.
"This is the first study to show an improvement in survival for any targeted therapy when it is used in endocrine therapy as a first-line treatment for advanced breast cancer," Hurvitz said. "The use of ribociclib as a first-line treatment has significantly extended overall survival, which is good news for women with this terrible disease."
The research found that women who received ribociclib experienced an average of 23.8 months without progression, compared to 13 months for placebo.
"We have known for some time that giving ribociclib with an aromatase inhibitor [a hormone therapy] may slow down the spread of incurable breast cancer, but knowing now that it can also prolong the life of premenopausal patients is the new hope that so many families have been waiting for, "said Delyth.
"The recent introduction of this class of drugs into NHS care has been a long-awaited advance in our ability to delay the progression of the most common type of incurable breast cancer. It is now absolutely fantastic to see the very first evidence that ribociclib can give more time to thousands of young women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. We can not define in words what it will mean for so many women to be able to spend extra precious time with their families and create memories that will last a lifetime.
"This class of drugs, and how it is slowing the growth of cancer, is one of the greatest advances in breast cancer research in recent decades, and it is vital to ensure that all patients who may to benefit from it can have access to it. "
The study could also stimulate research on whether the combination of ribociclib and other types of drugs not yet approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence could help another category of breast cancer patients, those who have already received hormonal treatment.
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