Herceptin dramatically cuts chance of breast cancer relapse
20th Oct 2005, 19:04 GMT
In what's being described as the greatest breakthrough in breast cancer in 30 years, researchers have published a study that shows women who receive chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer of type HER-2 positive (about 20 percent of all breast cancers) followed by treatment with the drug Herceptin show a 46 percent lower rate of cancer recurrence. Unfortunately, the drug is not cheap -- a year's supply can run as much as $60,000. Studies from international clinical trials of 5000 patients from 39 countries confirmed similar results found in two 3000 patient trials in the U.S., prompting the Australian Cancer Council to call for Herceptin's listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which would make the drug more cheaply available via federal subsidization. Read Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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