Combination of drugs against the survival rate for breast cancer study Elevators

Combination of drugs against the survival rate for breast cancer study Elevators

The Seattle Times reports that this is the first time such a drastic improvement observed in the trials of hormonal therapy frontline in the fight against breast cancer metastasis. Dr. Julie Gralow, director of the Division of Breast Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and co-author of the study, said:


"We find many other ways to treat these breast cancers with estrogen receptor positive, which does not include chemotherapy."


The two drugs, anastrozole (Arimidex brand) and fulvestrant (Faslodex brand), are called endocrine therapy, because they work through the action of a hormone (estrogen). Gralow said that about three-quarters of women with breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer whose tumors respond to estrogen. Both drugs are effective as anastrozole stops estrogen synthesis and the works of fulvestrant on estrogen receptors.


Gralow said that although these treatments do not cure breast cancer, however, are of great progress in the field of endocrine therapies and drugs for breast cancer. She said:

"We're trying to move away from toxic therapies, non-specific, such as chemotherapy, and better understand how they can affect estrogen receptors and their means and get even better results than chemotherapy with fewer side effects secondary. This is where we will treat breast cancer. "


RTT reports that Dr. Kathy Albain, principal investigator of the study, his team studied 707 postmenopausal women with breast cancer in hormone receptor positive. Metastatic They found that, on average, women who received both drugs against breast cancer lived 6.4 months longer than those who received one. Albain said:


"This is the first study to show that hormone therapy alone, without chemotherapy improves survival in advanced breast cancer. This will most likely change the standard of care for the way we treat these patients. "