Combination treatment stymies breast cancer growth

Breast Cancer :: Combination treatment stymies breast cancer growth

A combination of three different drugs that block the HER-2 receptor, a critical cellular growth signal for some breast cancers, eradicated aggressive breast tumors in mice and could point the way toward developing better treatments in patients, said researchers from the Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"For the first time, we were able to cure mice of a very aggressive human breast tumor," said Dr. Rachel Schiff, assistant professor in the Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine and senior author of the report.

In prior such studies, treatment only slowed or delayed the growth of tumors, she said. In this case, the tumors disappear and do not come back, even when treatment is stopped.

The treatment involved is a new approach known as "targeted" therapy because the protein (in this case, HER-2) driving a tumor to grow is first identified in a patient's tumor and then specific drugs are used to block that particular growth pathway in the cells, said Dr. C. Kent Osborne, director of the Breast Center and the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at BCM. He is also an investigator on the study.

"When you go after a specific target in a patient's tumor, the treatment is likely to be more effective and less toxic," said Schiff.

The tumors in question ? nearly 25 percent of all breast cancers ? have high levels of HER-2. While the HER-2 makes the tumors more aggressive, it also provides a target against which new drugs can act.

Previously, treatment for patients with HER-2 positive tumors was less effective.

"Now we have effective treatment, and survival is markedly improved," said Dr. Grazia Arpino, lead investigator of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at BCM.

"These tumors are initially highly sensitive to a drug known as trastuzumab or Herceptin, one of the drugs used in combination in the mouse study and which is approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for treatment," said Schiff.

However, the tumor is wily and can sometimes escape the drug's effects, resulting in resistance. Adding two other experimental drugs ? gefitinib and pertuzumab -- that inhibit HER-2 in different ways can more completely block the growth signals in the tumor, causing it to die.

In one of the tumors studied in this report, blocking the stimulatory effects of estrogen on the tumor was also necessary for optimal treatment, said Schiff. Completely blocking the HER pathway is critical, she said. Leaving out just one of the three drugs was much less effective.

A clinical study using drug combinations in newly diagnosed patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer will start soon under the direction of physicians at BCM's Breast Center, said Osborne.

"We are very excited to see if our laboratory results can be translated to patients with the more aggressive types of breast cancer," he said.

Others who participated in the research include Carolina Gutierrez, Heidi Weiss and Mothaffar Rimawi of BCM, Suleiman Massarweh, now of the University of Kentucky, Lavina Bharwani now of Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Center in China, and Sabino De Placido of Universita di Napoli Federico of Naples, Italy.

Funding for this research comes from the National Institutes of Health, The Jacqueline Seroussi Memorial Foundation for Cancer Research and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure (previously Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer) Foundation.




(Breast Cancer :: Combination treatment stymies breast cancer growth published at SpiritIndia on Monday, May 14, 2007)

Breast Cancer

Search more information on Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer books

Recently posted related articles on Breast Cancer :

1. Breast Cancer :: Normal tissue not spared in new forms of breast cancer radiotherapy
2. Breast Cancer :: Drug Could Effectively Treat, Prevent the Spread of Breast Cancer
3. Breast Cancer :: Breast cancer survivors to be honored at benefit for Wilmot Research
4. Breast Cancer :: Enhanced DNA repair mechanism can cause breast cancer
5. Breast Cancer :: Personal Digital Assistants PDAs help breast cancer patients
6. Breast Cancer :: AACR, BCRF award inaugural grants in translational breast cancer research
7. Breast Cancer :: Breast cancer awareness calls for cardiovascular awareness
8. Breast Cancer :: Think pink for breast cancer awareness month, US
9. Breast Cancer :: Breast reconstruction surgical webcast for breast cancer awareness month
10. Breast Cancer :: Hip size of mothers linked to breast cancer in daughters

Most related articles:

- Breast Cancer :: Combination treatment stymies breast cancer growth
- Breast cancer :: Facts about breast cancer - 15.6
- Breast Cancer :: Combination treatment stymies breast cancer growth - 15.3
- Breast cancer :: Breast cancer in men - 14.5
- Breast Cancer :: Postmenopausal sex hormones and breast density are each associated with breast cancer risk - 13.8
- Breast Cancer :: Abortion pill offers hope for breast cancer patients - 13.7
- Breast Cancer :: Breast cancer drug receives FDA approval - 13.6
- Breast cancer :: Rare Amazonian plant may heal cancer - 13.5
- Breast Cancer :: New therapeutic target in breast cancer fight - 13.4
- Breast Cancer :: Scientists find genetic key to some breast cancers - 13.3

Breast Cancer - recent related articles/news stories:

- Obesity, alcohol use and smoking increase second breast cancer risk
- Salinomycin potent against cancer stem cells in breast cancer
- Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and MRI
- Breastfeeding reduces risk of breast cancer
- Breast cells responsible for breast cancers

»»   Blood Pressure :: Study to test effect of blood pressure in trauma patients
««   Stroke :: Minor strokes hardly harmless

Home | Cancer | Therapies | Diet | Herbs | Heart | Skin | Cosmetic Surgery | Arthritis | Allergies | Eyes | GIT | Glossary | List

AYUSH = Ayurveda - Yoga - Unani - Siddha - Homeopathy -- Health articles

The information provided on SpiritIndia.com is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician. Spirit India comply with the HONcode principles for trustworthy health information.
Health, Business, Science, Sports, Entertainment, Technology
©2002-2009 SpiritIndia.com