New drug for breast cancer

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: A new chemotherapy-based treatment for breast cancer capable of increasing survival rates by over 30 per cent, has been developed.
A compound called docetaxel recently proved to be superior to the existing anthracycline-based standard of care, president of the Malaysian Oncological Society Dr Gurcharan Singh Khera said.
Two studies were conducted and proved that docetaxel was superior. The first, a seven-year study on 1,016 patients called US Oncology 9735, showed that it increased survival rates by 31 per cent. The second, known as BCIRG 001, found that survival rates were as high as 30 per cent after four-and-a-half years.
The BCIRG 001 study also showed that the disease-free survival also improved significantly irrespective of other factors that measure the severity of the cancer, such as the number of lymph nodes affected and the status of hormone receptors.
"With these advances, this much-feared disease affecting one in 19 Malaysian women is curable," Dr Gurcharan said.
He added that the main objective of treatment for early breast cancer is to rid the body of cancer cells and prevent a recurrence.
"The clinical definition of a 'cure' for cancer is if there are no signs of the disease five years after treatment.
"Since docetaxel passed the five-year test, breast cancer patients now have a more effective weapon in their battle against the disease."