Revolutionary drug could drastically reduce the risk of women with the “Angelina Jolie gene” dying from breast cancer.
The scientists studied about 2,000 women with early-stage cancer, all of whom had BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
Half were given olaparib tablets twice a day for a year, while the other was given a placebo.
The results showed that mortality among patients who took the drug four years later was 32% lower.
Charities today called the results “extremely exciting,” saying the discovery could save the lives of thousands of women.
A team of UK and US researchers studied 2,000 women with early-stage BRCA1 and BRCA2 cancers and gave half of them olaparib tablets (pictured) twice a day for a year. The results showed that those who took the cancer-killing drug were 32% less likely to die from the disease four years later.
Angelina Jolie (left) drew attention to the BRCA1 gene in 2013 when she revealed she decided to have a double mastectomy and remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes at the age of 37. Jolie’s mother Marcheline Bertrand (pictured right, with actress Jacqueline Bisset, right) has died. at 56 after battling breast and ovarian cancer
We all have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which normally protect against breast and ovarian cancer by repairing cell damage.
But mutations in genes can cause cells to malfunction, increasing women’s risk of disease.
About five percent of all cases of breast cancer are associated with a pair of defective genes that made the Hollywood actress famous.
Jolie underwent a prophylactic double mastectomy in 2013 after testing positive for the mutated BRCA1 gene.
Sold under the brand name Lynparza, olaparib has already been proven to reduce the chance of the spread of hereditary cancer.
But new results from a group of British and American researchers show for the first time that the drug also reduces the risk of death by a third.
NHS oversight bodies are evaluating whether it should be made widely available to patients in the UK. Currently, only a select group can access it.
WHAT ARE THE BRAC MUTATIONS KNOWN AS “GENE JOLIE”?
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are examples of genes that increase the risk of cancer if they change.
We all have certain genes that are normally protective against cancer. These genes repair any DNA damage that naturally occurs when cells divide.
Inheriting erroneous versions or “variants” of these genes greatly increases the risk of developing cancer because the altered genes cannot repair damaged cells, which can accumulate and form a tumor.
Having the BRCA gene variant greatly increases a woman’s chances of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
They also increase the likelihood of men developing breast and prostate cancer.
Approximately one in 400 people has a defective BRCA gene.
For every 100 women with the BRAC gene, there are 65 to 79 cases of breast cancer and 36 to 53 cases of ovarian cancer.
Source: National Health Service
Last week, the United States approved AstraZeneca and Merck’s olaparib for the treatment of BRCA gene-altered breast cancer.
Experts registered 1,836 women from 600 hospitals around the world who had breast cancer classified as HER2-negative, meaning it is less likely to grow.
All participants had a mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and received standard cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Half of them received olaparib 300 mg twice daily for a year, while the others were given a placebo drug.
Cancer cells with altered BRCA genes rely on a protein called PARP to keep their DNA healthy.
Olaparib, which can cost around £2,500 for a two-week course, prevents PARP from repairing DNA damage in cancer cells, causing them to die.
The researchers, who followed the participants for four years, found that those who took the drug were 32% less likely to die.
The study was conducted by a team from the London Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), the NSABP Foundation, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Andrew Tutt, chair of the study’s steering committee, said the results show that olaparib may “make more women with hereditary breast cancer safe from the disease and also keep them alive and healthy after initial treatment.”
He said the results show that olaparib can “directly affect the weakness” of cancer in women with BRCA mutations and “improve their survival.”
The oncologist said: “I hope that BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing will be used for more women diagnosed with early breast cancer so we can determine who can benefit from this personalized treatment approach.”
“Olaparib represents a much-needed new personalized and targeted treatment option to enable more women with hereditary breast cancer to stay healthy and healthy after initial treatment.”
Today Professor Tutt presented the results of the study at the congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
Professor Christian Helin, executive director of the ICR, said the results represent “an important step forward in the treatment of early hereditary breast cancer.”
He added: “Olaparib has significant benefits for this group of patients, increasing their chances of cancer cure and potential cure after initial treatment.
“We hope that olaparib will now be licensed in Europe and approved in the UK for NHS patients without delay.”
Dr. Simon Vincent, director of research, support and impact for the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: “It is very interesting that this study shows that olaparib can save lives and prevent recurrence in some women and men living with primary breast cancer. glands with an inherited altered BRCA gene. often known as the “Joli gene”.
He said the “groundbreaking” results will hopefully lead to a “positive decision” by NICE on the use of olaparib in the NHS, so “thousands of BRCA gene-altered people who may be eligible for the drug will benefit from it as soon as maybe’.
NICE in January withdrew from using the drug in the NHS to treat prostate cancer after finding it was not worth the money.
A trial of the drug found that men treated with olaparib lived 7.4 months before their cancer progressed, compared to 3.6 months when they received the “one-size-fits-all” hormone treatment.