Scientists say they have made a breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer by using the targeted cancer drug olaparib after chemotherapy.
A major trial in the use of olaparib at an early stage has shown that giving women the drug following chemotherapy significantly reduces the risk of inherited breast cancer returning or spreading.
The trial showed that after a median 2.5 years of follow-up, 85.9% of patients were free of their cancer, compared with 77.1% who had received a placebo. This represented a 42% overall drop in the risk of cancer returning.
Similarly, 87.5% of olaparib patients were alive and free of disease which had spread to other parts of their body, compared with 80.4% who were given a placebo, a 43% drop in the risk of cancer spreading via distant metastases.
The new treatment is shown to significantly reduce the risk of inherited breast cancer returning or spreading in women who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations.