Drug discovery could help tackle rare breast cancer

UP to 1,000 women with one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer could have their survival chances boosted after a breakthrough by British scientists.

They discovered an existing drug may prevent cancer cells multiplying.

The women have a type of breast cancer called LAR triple negative, which is extremely difficult to treat as tumours grow so quickly. It is responsible for two per cent of the 55,000 new breast cancer cases in the UK each year. Chemotherapy and other drugs are often ineffective.

Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London believe the drug Palbociclib – also known as a CDK4/6 inhibitor – could successfully treat these women. Trials on mice show it was able to eradicate tumours.

Professor Nicholas Turner said: ‘Triple negative breast cancer has limited treatment options as there are no effective targeted treatments. But this discovery suggests that for some women there is a target in their tumour we can aim for.

‘We now need to further develop a test to identify which women with triple negative breast cancer would benefit from the treatment and carry out clinical trials.’

Trials of Palbociclib show patients survived for an average 25 months compared to 12 and a half with chemotherapy alone. But it is very expensive at almost £80,000 a course and has not yet been approved by Nice, the drugs rationing body.