SCOTLAND'S leading specialists have welcomed a new drug for one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, which could allow women to survive with the disease for months longer.
The smart drug, which could be available in a year, not only prevents the spread of breast cancer but its side-effects are much less severe, experts at the American Society for Clinical Oncology will hear today.
The T-DM1 drug will be used to treat patients suffering from HER2-positive breast cancer.
Research has found the drug keeps cancer at bay for three months longer than conventional treatments, while it is so precise the side-effects, such as hair loss and severe diarrhoea commonly associated with other forms of chemotherapy, are significantly reduced.
Dr Peter Canny, from the Beatson Cancer Care Centre in Glasgow, said: "For the first time, for patients needing chemotherapy for relapsed HER2-positive breast cancer, we have seen a therapy that can maximise efficacy while minimising side-effects from chemotherapy, which is truly remarkable in a disease that's notoriously difficult to treat in it's advanced stages.
"These results offer extra hope for women diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in Scotland."
Professor Paul Ellis, from Guy's Hospital in London, said: "These results are remarkable because for the first time in breast cancer we have been able to significantly improve efficacy while substantially reducing many of the unpleasant side-effects associated with chemotherapy.
"HER2-positive breast cancer is very aggressive and once it progresses to the advanced stage it becomes very difficult to treat, so there is a real need for new treatment options, like T-DM1, that can keep cancer at bay while maintaining quality of life."
However, the drug does not yet have a licence to be administered in the UK and there are concerns the NHS will not be able to afford to pay for its widespread use.
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