How does new breast cancer therapy work?
The study presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Amsterdam demonstrated a new, miraculous treatment for breast cancer. Team of researchers led by Professor Nigel Bundred of the University of Manchester conducted a study which included 257 women who had been diagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer and were waiting for surgery. The study was divided into two different parts. First part included 130 women who were assigned to three different groups:
Women who received Herceptin Women who received laptinib Women who didn’t receive any treatment prior surgery.
Women from first two groups were treated for 11 days after diagnosis and before their surgery. During the course of their study, scientists realized that giving both drugs together was better than giving either drug alone. That motivated researchers to make some alterations in their study and start with the next part. They recruited 127 women who were divided either to:
Control group Herceptin group Herceptin and laptinib group.
All participants underwent surgery 11 days after the treatment. Then, scientists analyzed the resulting tissue to inspect whether there were any differences between the groups. In 11% of women from the combination therapy group the tumors disappeared completely (less than 2 weeks after they were diagnosed). In 17% of patients from the same group tumors significantly decreased and classified as minimal residual disease and their size was less than 5mm.
Telegraph.co.uk reports that scientists aren’t quite sure how the mechanism works but they assume it is combination of two different forces (drugs) that blocks cancer cells from multiplying, kills them off thus sparking immune response.
This groundbreaking therapy would cost about $2145 and could save thousands of women from breast cancer and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is well-known for a wide array of side effects such as hair loss, vomiting, fatigue, and even reduced cognitive functions. This type of breast cancer treatment takes a several months to complete and success is not guaranteed.
The fact that this type of treatment has the potential to destroy cancer cells in 11 days, less than two weeks, gives hopes to millions of women worldwide that they have high chances for survival and fighting breast cancer effectively.
Although the price of this treatment sounds expensive, due to shortness of this therapy the overall costs would be incredibly small.
Symptoms of breast cancer
The most common breast cancer symptoms include:
Change in size or shape of the breast Lump or thickening that feels different from the rest of the breast tissue Skin Redness and rash on the skin and/or around nipple Change in skin texture i.e. dimpling or puckering Discharge from nipple Inverted nipple or nipple that changes its shape or position Swelling in the armpit or around the collarbone Pain in the breast or armpit.
Other signs you shouldn’t ignore are:
Sudden weight loss when not dieting Muscle weakness Jaundice Shortness of breath Loss of appetite.
It is highly important to perform self-exams regularly and consulting your healthcare provider as soon as you notice changes in your breasts, texture, shape etc. Diagnosing breast cancer at its early stages significantly increases your chances of beating it fast and successively.
Conclusion
New studies about treatments for breast cancer give hope to millions of women that they can get rid of cancer without chemotherapy and its side effects. Researchers combined two drugs that are used for treating breast cancer and the results were remarkable. They realized that cancer cells disappeared in 11 days in some patients while in others size of cancer decreased significantly. To increase your chances of beating breast cancer, it’s important to consult your doctor as soon as you spot some changes in breasts or nipples. The new treatment could revolutionize the way breast cancer is treated.
