New drug combination ‘destroys’ tumours in under two weeks

The results of a Cancer Research UK funded trial have suggested that using Herceptin in combination with another medication ahead of surgery can shrink and even destroy tumours in women with an aggressive form of breast cancer in under two weeks.

The results, presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Amsterdam, could lead to fewer women requiring chemotherapy.

According to the Guardian, around a quarter of 66 women with HER2 positive breast cancer treated for 11 days with both trastuzumab (the generic name for Herceptin) and lapatinib saw their tumours rapidly shrink significantly or even disappear.

 “For some HER2 positive breast cancer patients, the effect of this drug combination will be amazing and mean they can avoid chemotherapy and its gruelling side effects completely.” Samia al Qadhi, chief executive at Breast Cancer Care said.

She added that although this was an early study, it had “game changing potential,” although it required more evidence.

The Guradian adds that at present, trastuzumab’s (Herceptin) licensing means it is only available to be used alongside chemotherapy and not alone.

 “Our results are a strong foundation on which to build further trials of combination anti-HER2 therapies prior to surgery – which could reduce the number of women who require subsequent chemotherapy, which is also very effective but can lead to long-term side effects,” trial co-leader Prof Judith Bliss  said.

The trial studied 257 women with HER2 positive breast cancer in the short gap between their initial diagnosis and surgery to remove their tumours. Initially women were randomised to receive either trastuzamab or lapatinib or no treatment.

However, halfway through the trial, evidence from other trials of the effectiveness of the combination led to additional women being allocated to the lapatinib group also being prescribed trastuzumab.

Of the women receiving both, 17% had only minimal residual disease – defined as an invasive tumour smaller than 5mm in size – and 11% had no biological sign of invasive tumour in the breast. Of the women treated with trastuzumab only, 3% had residual disease or complete response, the newspaper adds.

HER2 positive breast cancer is more likely to come back after treatment than some other types of breast cancer and it is generally treated with surgery, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy and targeted anti-HER2 drugs.