Breast cancer patients could soon be saved thanks to a "next-generation" drug that can destroy tumors months before they start growing.
The daily pill, known as camizestrant, stops the development of cancer cells, significantly slowing the spread of the disease and delaying the need for grueling chemotherapy.
About seven in ten breast cancer patients have a type of the disease known as HR-positive HER-2 negative breast cancer – the most common form.
Of these, about 40 percent, accounting for approximately 10-15 thousand women each year, may develop an aggressive genetic mutation that prevents treatment from destroying the cancer.
But the "transformative" trial found that patients who took the drug camizestrant saw their risk of cancer progression cut by more than half.
This was also the first study in the world to show that blood tests can detect early warning signs that indicate the potential recurrence of cancer.
Doctors used the test to detect changes in cancer DNA – when they found signs of harmful mutations, patients received camizestrant.
Currently, these blood monitoring tests are only done after treatment has been completed, looking for signs of cancer DNA in the blood, which indicates the spread of the disease.
Experts presenting the findings today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago called it "a watershed moment in breast cancer care" and "a fundamental change in the way we treat cancer."
The drug is already being fast-tracked for use in the US and has also been submitted for approval in the UK.
Professor Nicholas Turner, an expert in molecular oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led this major trial, said: "This is a crucial moment in breast cancer care. This is a potential new strategy to tackle the development of drug resistance before it causes cancer progression."
In the trial, 3,325 patients with advanced HR-positive, HER-2-negative breast cancer from 23 countries were screened for the aggressive mutation – known as ESR1 – using a blood test every eight to 12 weeks.
Of these, 315 women who tested positive for the mutation were divided into two groups. One group received a combination of camizestrant and another known drug that attacks this type of cancer.
The other group received traditional medicine along with hormone therapy.
Researchers found that those who took the combination with camizestrant reduced their risk of death or cancer progression by 56 percent.
The drug also kept the cancer under control for an average of 16 months, compared with 9.2 months with standard treatment.
Only one percent of patients stopped taking the drug due to side effects.
Presenting the findings at ASCO, Susan Galbraith, executive vice president of oncology at AstraZeneca, the company that developed the drug, said the company is in "ongoing discussions" with UK medicines authorities to accelerate approval of the drug.
Meanwhile, Dr Catherine Elliott, director of research at Cancer Research UK, said: “This study is a clear example of how blood tests are beginning to transform cancer treatment. By tracking tiny traces of tumour DNA in the blood, researchers were able to detect early signs of treatment resistance and change therapy before the cancer had a chance to grow. This approach could become an important part of how we personalise care for people with advanced breast cancer.” /Express newspaper/
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