09/19/2021 18:36
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 09/19/2021 10:03 PM
The
National Cancer Institute determined
that no fewer than
21,500 cases of breast cancer
are diagnosed annually
.
Equivalent to
60 per day
.
If the detection is early, when the tumor is small and has not spread, it is easier to treat with good results.
In recent years, science has worked to
improve the prognosis of the most complicated cases
: those in which the tumor has spread to other areas of the body, such as the lungs, distant lymph nodes, skin, bones, the liver or the brain.
Recently, the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology had confirmed the importance of the drug
ribociclib
in treating the
cancer in a metastatic state.
This one-of-a-kind drug reduces the relative risk of death,
postpones the need for chemotherapy
, slows disease progression, and has been consistently proven to extend overall survival as well as quality of life for these patients.
The disease progresses to metastatic in one third of women with breast cancer.
New trials show even more auspicious conclusions.
During the
Annual Congress of the European Society of Clinical Oncology
, which takes place between September 16 and 21, the results of the phase 3 study called MONALEESA-2 were announced.
This evaluated the benefits of ribociclib (a CDK 4/6 inhibitor) in combination with letrozole (an endocrine therapy), as a
first line of treatment
in women with a very common subtype of metastatic breast cancer: the so-called RH + / HER2- , which represents approximately
70% of women with advanced disease
.
The union of both treatments achieves an overall survival of the patients, with a median of 63.9 months (or more than five years).
Regular check-ups are essential to prevent and treat this disease in time.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Ribociclib
works by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6, cell cycle regulatory proteins that promote the growth of these types of tumors.
The
letrozole
, meanwhile, is an inhibitor of aromatase, an enzyme involved in estrogen production, which is a female sex hormones that help the tumor to grow.
"When it comes to making therapeutic decisions, the evidence of those options that have shown benefits in terms of
overall survival
and not just progression-free survival (or the time that passes from the start of treatment until the disease progresses) is stronger. These are data that sometimes take longer, but better support the convenience of both its indication and its coverage, "said
Gustavo Jankilevich
, head of the Oncology Service at Durand Hospital.
85% of women with breast cancer have no family history.
Dr.
Victoria Constanza
is Deputy Head of the Breast Cancer Unit at the Alexander Fleming Institute.
"Few years ago, it was
unthinkable to achieve this level of survival
in women with metastatic disease, when other organs such as bones, liver or lungs are already compromised. These are years of life gained with a very good quality of life. life, because this scheme, being oral and like all directed therapy, having less toxicity allows you to
continue carrying out your daily tasks
, often working or doing physical activity, "he concluded.
The goal is to live longer
A survey showed that
60%
of oncologists have as their main goal that their patients live as long as possible.
Statues in La Plata were covered with pink scarves during an action to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.Photo: Telam.
The
70% of affected raised the same desire
.
Continuing with routines that benefit them, as well as spending time with their family and loved ones are among their main reasons.
"For the community of patients of
Movimiento Ayuda Cancer de Mama (Macma)
it is always good news that science progresses and we are very aware of every new development that is presented," said
Paula Castillo
, the president of the organization.
And he concluded: "In the past, we felt that all efforts were intended solely to detect in time (something very important for us), relegating those who already had the disease installed and in advanced stages. We are seeing how this trend is reversed" .
MG
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