Latest news with #tripletherapy
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Breakthrough breast cancer treatment could help 1,000 women a year
A new triple-drug treatment for aggressive advanced breast cancer can cut deaths by a third, a major trial has found. The international research used liquid biopsies – described as the 'golden key' to unlocking precision medicines – that identified suitable patients. All were suffering from one of the most common forms of breast cancer, which accounts for seven in 10 cases, and had a common mutation which makes it more deadly and aggressive. The three-drug therapy comprises two targeted drugs – palbociclib, a type of cancer growth blocker, and a new drug called inavolisib, which blocks the activity of the PI3K protein – as well as the hormone therapy fulvestrant. Until now, treatment options for such patients have been limited. The trial involving the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust enrolled 325 patients from 28 countries, including the UK. In all cases, cancer had spread or returned after hormone therapy and for those who had not yet received systemic treatment for metastatic disease. Of the total, 161 were given the three-drug combination. The placebo group, which included 164 patients, was given a dummy pill plus palbociclib and fulvestrant. The study found the median overall survival in the inavolisib group was 34 months, compared with 27 months in the placebo group. The therapy was far more likely to result in significant shrinkage of tumours. In total, 62.7 per cent of patients in the inavolisib group saw their tumours shrink by more than 30 per cent, compared with 28 per cent in the placebo group. The randomised, double blind trial also showed that the new combination delayed the progression of the disease by 17.2 months, on average, compared with 7.3 months in the control group. Women taking inavolisib were able to delay subsequent chemotherapy treatment by almost two years longer than the patients in the control group. Around 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year, and 11,500 will die from the disease. The study involved women with one of the most common types of disease, who had a mutation which is more aggressive and deadly. Experts said around 1,000 women a year could be helped by the drug combination. The study, funded by pharmaceutical company Roche, which manufactures inavolisib, was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Lead author Nick Turner, professor of molecular oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research and consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said the therapy 'not only helped patients live longer, but it more than doubled the time before their cancer progressed or worsened. 'It also gave them more time before needing subsequent chemotherapy, which we know is something that patients really fear and want to delay for as long as possible,' he said. The oncologist said he hoped the triple therapy would become the standard of care for women who can benefit. Previous trial results led the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant 'breakthrough therapy' designation for inavolisib in May 2024 with costs of around $23,000 (£17,000) monthly. It has yet to be licensed in the UK. Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: 'This research demonstrates how this triple combination approach, effectively shuts down cancer's escape routes, giving people with metastatic breast cancer the opportunity to live well for longer.' Dr Nisharnthi Duggan, research information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: 'These results are really positive news for people living with a type of hard-to-treat breast cancer. The trial showed that adding inavolisib to targeted treatment plans improved survival. On top of this, it also delayed the progression of people's cancer and the need for chemotherapy, which could improve quality of life. 'We hope that more research like this will help to give people kinder cancer treatment options, and more time with their loved ones.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Breakthrough' breast cancer therapy can slow advance of disease and prolong survival
A new triple therapy for aggressive, advanced breast cancer slows the progression of the disease, delays the need for further chemotherapy and helps patients live longer, research reveals. The combination treatment is made up of two targeted drugs: inavolisib and palbociclib, and the hormone therapy fulvestrant. It improved overall survival by an average of seven months, compared with the patients in the control group, who were given palbociclib and fulvestrant. It also delayed progression of the disease by 17.2 months, on average, compared with 7.3 months in the control group, and patients taking inavolisib were able to delay subsequent chemotherapy treatment by almost two years longer than the patients in the control group. The results of the study, funded by Roche, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) annual meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The international trial involved 325 patients from 28 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, France and Germany. Experts said it demonstrated the potential of the triple therapy for targeting PIK3CA-mutated HR+, HER2- breast cancer – a common form of the disease. About 70% of patients have HR+, HER2- breast cancer. PIK3CA mutations are found in 35% to 40% of HR+ breast cancers, and are linked to tumour growth, disease progression and treatment resistance. 'The INAVO120 trial has identified a targeted treatment regimen that meaningfully improves survival in patients with untreated PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer – a big step forward for these patients,' said Dr Jane Lowe Meisel, the co-director of breast medical oncology at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and an Asco expert in breast cancer. The results also showed a substantial shrinking in cancer growth in about 62.7% of patients in the triple therapy group compared with 28% in the control group. Dr Simon Vincent, the director of research, support and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said the findings were a 'significant breakthrough'. Dr Nisharnthi Duggan, a research information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: 'These results are really positive news for people living with a type of hard-to-treat breast cancer. 'The trial showed that adding inavolisib to targeted treatment plans improved survival. On top of this, it also delayed the progression of people's cancer and the need for chemotherapy, which could improve quality of life. We hope that more research like this will help to give people kinder cancer treatment options, and more time with their loved ones.' In the trial, more than half of the patients had disease that had already spread to three or more organs. The researchers used circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) liquid biopsy blood tests to determine whether patients had a PIK3CA mutation. Participants were then allocated to receive either the inavolisib-based regimen or a combination of palbociclib, fulvestrant and a dummy pill. The new drug inavolisib works by blocking the activity of the PIK3CA protein. The inavolisib combination was generally well tolerated with only a few patients experiencing side-effects that led them to discontinue the treatment. Nick Turner, professor of molecular oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, led a UK arm of the trial. 'The key findings from this study showed that the inavolisib-based therapy not only helped patients live longer but it more than doubled the time before their cancer progressed or worsened. It also gave them more time before needing subsequent chemotherapy which we know is something that patients really fear and want to delay for as long as possible. 'These results give us confidence that this treatment could become the new go-to option for patients who have HR+, HER2- breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation, as it has shown significant improvements in both survival and quality of life.'
