14
Jul 2015
New drug could slow down half of breast cancers
A study has shown that a new drug, which contains the hormone progesterone, could help 50% of women with breast cancer to live for longer.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Adelaide say that the results of the study, which is in its early stages, are “very significant” and clinical trials are now being planned.
Hormones play a significant role in breast cancer and by matching up with “hormone receptors” on the outside of a cancer cell, they can bring about division of the cancer cell. Tamoxifen, which is currently one of the most successful drugs for breast cancer, blocks up the oestrogen receptor.
Up until now, progesterone receptors were considered less deadly and as the reason was not clear, have not been investigated as a possible treatment.
The studies of cancer cells grown in a laboratory have shown that the oestrogen and progesterone receptors are closely linked, and that the progesterone receptor can work in combination with the oestrogen receptor by making it less aggressive.
The cancer cells that were grown in the laboratory only grew to 50% of the size when treated with a combination of tamoxifen and progesterone than when treated with tamoxifen alone.
Professor Carlos Caldas from the University of Cambridge, one of the researchers, said “It appears you control the tumours better, but to prove it is better in women with breast cancer we need to do the trial.
“It could be very significant. In early breast cancer you could increase the number of people being cured and in advanced breast cancer, where we’re not curing, we could control the disease for longer.”
Cancer Research UK’s Dr Emma Smith, said “This is a highly significant finding. It could be an easy, cheap and simple way to improve the survival of thousands of women, but it needs clinical trials.”
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