http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=65436&d=15&m=6&y=2005
Wednesday, 15, June, 2005 (08, Jumada al-Ula, 1426)
New Treatment Cuts Risk of Death in Breast Cancer Cases
Maha Akeel, Arab News
A new chemotherapy treatment has shown a significant improvement in
reducing relapse and risk of death in cases of breast cancer. The New England
Journal of Medicine has published the results of a landmark phase III study
that demonstrates that an adjuvant (after surgery) Taxotere (docetaxel)
injection concentrate-based regimen showed a significant 28 percent reduction
in risk of relapse and a significant 30 percent reduction in the risk of death
after 55 months of follow-up in women with operable, node-positive breast
cancer. The results were observed regardless of the nodal, hormone-receptor,
menopausal and HER-2/neu status.
"In treating breast cancer at the early stages, surgery is not enough and
must be followed by hormone or chemotherapy to prevent recurrence; the reason
is that even if the cancer is diagnosed early, there are millions of cells
around the tumor that cannot be detected which can spread the disease," said
Professor Ezzeldin Ibrahim, chairman of oncology department and executive
director of the research center at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research
Center in Jeddah.
Conducted by the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG), this
large, multi-center trial involved nearly 1,500 patients from around the world.
The study analysis included women who were treated with either TAC
(Taxotere with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide) after surgery or with a
standard adjuvant regimen known as FAC (5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin and
cyclophosphamide).
"In this study, half the patients were given the best known chemotherapy
in use and the second half were given the new chemotherapy and it showed that
the new therapy reduced relapse and risk of death more than the standard
therapy. This is a significant finding," explained Dr. Ibrahim.
"The side effects of both treatments are few and are almost the same and
in both treatments the only concern is that the patient does not have any heart
condition," said Dr. Ibrahim, thus the new treatment is a better choice.
This treatment is available in Saudi Arabia and the medication has been
in the market for eight years.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. It is the
second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Since 1990 it
has increased, predominantly in women 50 and above.
In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in
women; 20.6 percent of all female cancer cases are breast cancer according to
the Saudi Arabian Cancer Registry. Worse is that close to 2/3 of women
diagnosed with breast cancer in Saudi Arabia are in the advanced stages,
compared to only 1/3 in Western countries.
"The average age of Saudi women diagnosed with breast cancer is 40; in
the US the average age is 60. The reason is that the Saudi population is young;
the number of people over 60 is small. The problem is the younger the patient,
the more aggressive the cancer," said Dr. Ibrahim.
More than one million new cases of breast cancer are reported worldwide
annually and more than 400,000 women die every year from the disease. With
early screening and diagnosis, early management of patients may offer better
chances of survival.
"Women should do a regular breast self-examination and it is important to
teach women over 25 how to do it correctly. After 40, women should have regular
mammograms, especially those with a family history of cancer," said Dr. Ibrahim.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.org
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