Thousands of women with incurable breast cancer thrown a lifeline – doctors say hope is now possible
A first-of-its-kind daily pill that slows the spread of aggressive breast cancer is set to revolutionise the treatment of thousands, experts say.
A trial has found that the drug, vepdegestrant, is twice as effective as existing treatments at extending the lives of patients with incurable breast cancer—buying them precious time with loved ones.
Experts say that vepdegestrant also has far fewer side effects than medicines used on the NHS, and can be taken at home.
One in seven women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime—around 56,000 a year—making it the most common cancer in the UK.
While nine out ten patients survive, the disease still claims the lives of more than 11,000 annually.
Around two-thirds of breast cancer patients in the UK have a form of the disease called ER positive HER-2 negative breast cancer.
Of these, up to half with an advanced form can develop a genetic mutation which makes their cancer resistant to treatment.
Patients who get this mutation—called ESR1—typically have less than two years to live.
A pivotal global trial has found a daily pill, called vepdegestrant, slashed the risk of the cancer progressing by 43 per cent compared to standard treatment—an uncomfortable monthly jab
Symptoms of breast cancer to look out for include lumps and swellings, dimpling of the skin, changes in colour, discharge and a rash or crusting around the nipple
Currently, these patients receive a once-a-month injection called fulvestrant, which stops cancer cells from feeding off oestrogen, the female sex hormone that research shows helps tumours to grow.
However, fulvestrant, which has to be adminstered by a healthcare professional, has a number of uncomfortable side effects including hot flushes, nausea and muscle pain.
In some cases, it can also damage the liver.
Even then, the injection can only keep the disease at bay for, on average, two months, the trial showed.
And only a fifth of fulvestrant patients go six months without their cancer spreading.
But the vepdegestrant trial, presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, found that the tablet halted the spread of breast cancer for, on average, five months.
Moreover, nearly half of the 300 patients given vepdegestrant went six months without their cancer spreading.
The study found that the drug, which also blocks cancer cells from consuming oestrogen, has no major side effects.
Manufactured by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, vepdegestrant is a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD). It works by targeting the estrogen receptor (ER), a protein that plays a crucial role in the growth and spread of ER+ breast cancer cells
Checking your breasts should be part of your monthly routine so you notice any unusual changes. Simply rub and feel from top to bottom, in semi-circles and in a circular motion around your breast tissue to identify any abnormalities
Experts say it is too soon to say exactly how much longer vepdegestrant patients live than those on fulvestrant, but they expect the difference to be significant.
The drug is already being fast-tracked for use in the US and has been sent for approval in the UK.
Experts believe it could get the greenlight in the UK because it is so much better than the existing options.
‘Fulvestrant is incredibly painful and uncomfortable for patients, the majority of whom are forced to have to come to the clinic for it,’ says Professor Komal Jhaveri, an oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.
‘Oral tablets can be taken at home.’
Dr Jane Meisel, a medical oncology professor at Emory University in Georgia, said: ‘This drug will be a very exciting option for patients that could transform treatment.’
Given it can be taken at home, does not leave patients suffering debilitating side effects, ‘it’s definitely the first of its kind’, she added.
