| of breast cancer among British women is one of | | | | unpleasant treatment. |
| the biggest expenses for private health insurance | | | | Although the treatment with the new drug is not |
| companies. Currently, this disease kills 1200 | | | | expected to be widely available in the UK for |
| women and 100 men in the UK every year. | | | | about another five years, there are other things |
| These figures are too high and scientists are | | | | that medics are doing to lessen the destruction |
| always looking for ways to improve on it. Up to | | | | caused by breast cancer. Breast screening is |
| thirty per cent of breast cancers will be of the | | | | hailed as a roaring success in the on-going battle |
| aggressive type. | | | | because tumours are being picked up early and |
| Thus comes the latest breakthrough breast | | | | successfully treated. |
| cancer drug that shrinks the tumours of women | | | | This early detection and treatment means that |
| with the most aggressive forms of the disease. A | | | | patients can expect a normal life span. This applies |
| quarter of all the women in the drug trial found | | | | to 61 per cent of those screened so certainly |
| that their tumours had shrunk and another | | | | shows that it's worth attending those |
| quarter had been told that their tumour had had | | | | appointments, however unpleasant you think they |
| no significant growth. | | | | might be. |
| Herceptin is the normal drug of choice for this | | | | Early detection through screening is also invaluable |
| type of cancer but this was failing to halt the | | | | to those with invasive breast cancer, putting the |
| disease. However, with a mixed treatment of | | | | 15 year survival rate at 86 per cent, which is |
| Herceptin and Pertuzumab, this is when the best | | | | greatly improved on previous figures. Screening is |
| results were seen. | | | | responsible for finding a third of all breast cancer |
| If a person has a large amount of protein, HER2, | | | | cases and women aged 50 to 70 are offered |
| on the surface of the tumour the disease will be | | | | three yearly scans. This is set to be extended to |
| much more aggressive and non-responsive to | | | | cover women between 47 and 73. This means an |
| chemotherapy. Private health insurance will pay | | | | extra 400,000 women will be helped by 2012. |
| for continued treatment so that is one less worry | | | | This year sees the twentieth anniversary of the |
| for the patient but a halting or reducing of the | | | | introduction of breast screening in the UK and has |
| disease is the best thing that could happen. | | | | saved thousands of lives through routine |
| One patient from Manchester was diagnosed with | | | | checkups. In that time, treatments for breast |
| breast cancer fifteen years ago and underwent a | | | | cancer have also improved and survival rates are |
| double mastectomy. Despite that, the disease | | | | expected to see continued growth. It is expected |
| returned and spread to her lungs. She was not | | | | that in the future less and less women will have |
| expected to live longer than 49 years of age but | | | | to suffer the trauma of a mastectomy. |
| using the new drug has seen her reach 54 with | | | | Raloxifene is a drug that is used in the fight |
| no worsening of the disease. | | | | against osteoporosis and this has also been found |
| It is hoped this drug will be developed for high-risk | | | | to help prevent breast cancers. For those on this |
| women who test positive to HER2 protein. It is | | | | drug the risk of contracting the most common |
| also hoped that it will eventually do away with the | | | | form of breast cancer was more than halved. |
| need for chemotherapy – a costly and | | | | |