Medicine and ovarian blockade reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence by up to 25%, studies show

Research presented at the world’s largest oncology congress points to therapies that can reduce the risk of recurrence in the most common breast cancers

Two therapies – an ovarian blockade and an oral drug – were able to reduce the risk of the most common types of cancer returning by up to 25%. breast cancershowed two studies presented on Friday 2 in Chicago, during the annual meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s leading cancer congress.

The first study, conducted by researchers at the University of California and sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Novartis, the manufacturer of the drug, showed the first results of using the drug ribociclib in combination with hormone therapy in patients with early breast cancer classified as hormone receptor sensitive and HER2 negative. This type of cancer accounts for 70% of all breast cancer cases.

For these patients, use of the drug led to an average 25% reduction in the risk of tumor recurrence, an important reduction given that one-third of patients with stage 2 cancer will experience a disease recurrence, even years after the first treatment . In the case of those diagnosed in stage 3, half of those diagnosed will have a recurrence.

The study involved 5,100 patients in 20 countries. About half of them received ribociclib in combination with standard hormone therapy. The other half received only hormone therapy. After an average follow-up of two years and three months, 7.4% of patients in the drug group had cancer recurrence, compared with 9.3% in the endocrine therapy alone group.

According to the Brazilian specialists who attended the ASCO meeting in Chicago, the results are encouraging, but still need to be analyzed better, with a longer follow-up period for patients.

“The initial data was, yes, positive, but we have to wait for a segment update to define whether ribociclib has really come to stay in this adjuvant scenario or if we have to wait for even more data to see how that plays out,” said Daniel Gimenes, oncologist of the Oncoclínicas Group.

Ribociclib belongs to a class of drugs that block CDK4/6, a protein that promotes the growth of cancer cells. It is already approved in Brazil for the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer, but, with the new data, it is possible that the manufacturer will ask for registration so that it can also be used in the first cases of the disease.

There is another drug available in Brazil, the abemaciclib, which has the same mechanism of action and is already approved for treatment in the early stages of the disease, but with different side effects. According to the doctors, the efficacy of both is similar, but the differences in adverse events may allow the specialist to choose the best option based on the patient’s clinical condition.

“Although we already have a similar molecule, the study is important because it confirms the action of this class of drugs in reducing relapses and because the two drugs have a different profile of toxicity of white blood cells) and elevation of liver enzymes. Depending the patient profile, is one more option in the therapeutic arsenal,” says Romualdo Barroso, national leader in breast cancer and head of research in Oncology at Dasa Oncologia.

Induction of menopause reduces the risk of recurrence and mortality

Another study presented at the ASCO meeting demonstrated that the suppression of ovarian function (and the consequent induction of menopause for patients under 55) is able to reduce the risk of recurrence even in patients with hormone receptor-sensitive breast cancers .

The meta-analysis study, conducted by University of Oxford, reviewed more than 20 studies evaluating blocking ovarian function in the treatment of breast cancer. This is because, in most of these types of cancer, the disease is ‘dependent’ on estrogen, a hormone produced by the ovaries. To reduce the risk of the tumors returning, therefore, doctors block the action of the ovaries so that the hormone is no longer produced.

In the meta-analysis conducted by British researchers, who studied data from more than 15,000 patients, the group of women who underwent ovarian function suppression had a cancer recurrence rate of 29.5% over the 15-year follow-up period . Among the group that did not experience ovarian blockage, this rate was 39.3%.

“We already knew that suppressing ovarian function had a benefit, but now, with this new study, we have much stronger evidence of the importance of this intervention,” says Barroso, of Dasa Oncologia.

*The journalist traveled at the invitation of Bayer

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.