Reduce the risk of recurrence and reduce the progression of the disease into the metastatic phase. It is possible thanks to molecularly targeted therapies. The results presented at the ESMO congress.
Decided steps forward in the treatment of breast cancer HR + HER2- . While on the one hand, thanks to the new target therapy with abemaciclib, it is possible to further reduce the risk of relapse , on the other a slice of women with the PIK3CA mutation will benefit from alpelisib , a molecularly targeted drug capable of extending survival even when the disease is metastasized. The results were presented during the ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) virtual congress , one of the most important world events dedicated to the fight against cancer.
Breast cancer: pay attention to supplements during therapies
23-01-2020
70% OF BREAST CANCERS ARE HR + HER2-
Every year in our country there are about 53,000 new diagnoses of breast cancer. Unlike in the past, today survival 5 years from diagnosis is close to 90% . An extraordinary result that must not, however, make us forget that portion of women who cannot be treated effectively. Among the many forms of breast cancer, two thirds is represented by the HR + HER2- form . The classic procedure involves surgical removal, possible chemotherapy and radiotherapy and, at the end, hormone therapy to avoid tumor recurrence. However, about 20% of women with this type of disease are at high risk of relapse as they develop resistanceto drugs. This is why research is at work in an attempt to always identify new molecules to be used to reduce the risk.
ABEMACICLIB REDUCES THE RISK OF RELAPSE
Particularly promising in this sense are CDK4 / 6 inhibitors , particular proteins that regulate tumor replication. And this is the case with abemaciclib . In the study presented to ESMO, the use of this molecule, in combination with classic hormonal therapy, reduced the risk of relapse by 25% compared to standard therapy alone. Not only that, the risk of developing distant metastases (typical of the liver and bone) was reduced by 28%. Important results – obtained in the “MonarchE” study, which involved over 5,600 patients in more than 600 centers in 38 countries – destined to change clinical practice in the management of breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.
Breast cancer: more accurate diagnosis with artificial intelligence
07-01-2020
ALPESILIB CHRONICIZES BREAST CANCER IN THE ADVANCED PHASE
But the news does not end there for HR + HER2- breast cancer . By analyzing in more detail the molecular characteristics of this type of neoplasm, it has been discovered that in 40% of cases there is a mutation in the PIK3CA gene , a protein that regulates cell metabolism. A targeted therapy -alpesilib- capable of blocking the mutated protein, thus controlling the growth of the disease and reducing the overall size of the tumor, has been developed for some years. ESMO was presented with the outcomes of the SOLAR-1 study, which evaluated alpelisib in combination with fulvestrant (a hormone therapy), compared to fulvestrant alone, in patients withHR + HER2- advanced breast cancer . In the Solar-1 study, treatment with alpelisib demonstrated an additional 8-month overall survival benefit compared to hormone therapy alone. A finding which, combined with the statistically and clinically significant increase in progression-free survival, further supports the efficacy of alpelisib in a population of patients with a particularly poor prognosis due to the presence of the PIK3CA mutation.
