Thousands of British women with advanced-stage breast cancer are now entitled to apply for a new form of treatment that could make them feel well and better quality of life for longer. Afinitor, as the drug is called, is still being tested for effectiveness in other cancers.
According to many experts, this method represents the most significant step forward in years and can make a huge difference to the quality of life of women suffering from the most common type of breast cancer. Clinical trials have shown that patients given the drug afinitor lived twice as long without their symptoms getting worse than patients given standard therapy. A study will continue to determine if they will also live longer – although, as must be emphasized, this drug will not defeat cancer.
Affinitor treatment, also known as everolimus, costs £ 3000 a month and will probably burden the national health care budget by many millions. While the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not yet performed a cost-effectiveness analysis, doctors can now seek immediate approval to use a drug if they feel it is in the patient’s best interest.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, killing 12 women each year. The manufacturer of the drug, Novertis, believes that up to 14 patients can benefit from it. Currently, patients are offered hormone therapies to block the production of the estrogen that certain types of cancer need to grow. However, over time, however, the tumor develops resistance to these drugs, leaving women and doctors with no options. Most patients diagnosed with advanced breast cancer only live for two to three years.
Clinical trials, the results of which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that combining the methods used so far with an affinitor extends the period in which cancer stops developing – from 3,2 to 7,8 months. Although most patients experienced less severe side effects from the novel treatment compared to chemotherapy, several had to drop out of the program due to problems such as mouth ulcers or high blood glucose levels.
Afinitor is an inhibitor of mTOR, which regulates the growth of cells, including cancer cells. By blocking mTOR, the agent slows down tumor growth. Afinitor is already used in the treatment of kidney cancer, and clinical trials are underway to determine whether it can be used more widely in oncology. It is not yet known if it would be effective in the early stages of the disease.
According to Professor Stephen Johnson of the Royal Marsden Hospital, this measure is a great step forward. “Everolimus has the potential to redefine the way we treat the most common type of advanced breast cancer and, just as importantly, give patients an alternative to chemotherapy,” he added. “Although everolimus does not cure cancer, it can give patients a few extra months of good quality life with their family,” said Rachel Grieg of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Foundation. – It has yet to be assessed by NICE, but we wholeheartedly support its making it available to all who need it.
The head of the Cancer Research UK foundation, Liz Woolf, said: “ So far, the research has looked encouraging, but we don’t know yet whether this drug will extend the lives of patients with advanced breast cancer. It is important that each patient is fully informed about possible treatments and their potential impact on quality of life. About a fifth of the women in the clinical trials dropped out because of significant side effects.
Chris Smyth