Breast cancer drug cuts death rates by a third

When used in combination with chemotherapy and another drug called Herceptin, Perjeta significantly cut death rates over a three-year period.

Among those with advanced breast cancer, the chance of dying over that timeframe dropped from 50 to 33 per cent - a relative reduction of a third - according to results presented at the San Antonio breast cancer conference in Texas.

Both Herceptin and Perjeta are only suitable for women with a HER2-positive breast cancer, which accounts for up to a quarter of cases. They both work by blocking signals that HER ‘receptors’ send out to make cells divide uncontrollably.

Dr David Miles, a consultant oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood, Middlesex, said: “These results are really impressive, they show a rare magnitude of survival benefit for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients.”

Both treatment regimes in side effects including hair loss, lowered immunity, and diarrhoea. Those taking Perjeta as well were more likely to suffer from diarrhoea.


Dr Rachel Greig, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “This is very promising data and good news for treatment of this type of advanced breast cancer.
“Although it is not a cure it can help women survive longer and significantly extend the time a patient is able to control the growth of their disease. We hope it can be made available to UK patients as soon as possible.”
Fiona Hazell, of the Breast Cancer Campaign, said: "We welcome these findings as one of the major advances we’ve seen for women with advanced HER2 positive breast cancer since Herceptin.
"Being able to significantly extend the lives of more women and stop cancer returning for longer is brilliant news."