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Research on a therapeutic approach to breast cancer gives sufferers hope
More than 75,000 affected women a year
According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 75,200 women in Germany currently develop breast cancer (breast cancer) every year, and more than 17,000 die of it. The risk of illness increases significantly from the age of 50 years, the mean age of onset is 64 years. Even men can be affected by the disease, but this is comparatively rare with about 600 diagnosed cases annually. The chances of recovery in a breast cancer can not be generalized, but depend on various factors such. the nature of the tumor, the stage of cancer and the age and general health of the patient. However, as with all other cancers, the general rule here is that the earlier the cancer is discovered, the higher the chances of recovery. Hopeful breast cancer therapy. Image: gstockstudio - fotolia
Combination of two proven treatment methods
Now a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy could be a promising new option for the treatment of breast cancer. After all, researchers from the University and the University Hospital Basel successfully combined the two common therapies for the first time and were therefore able to see an even more positive effect, according to the University.
It was found that mice treated with the combination therapy survived significantly longer than those who had received only one of the two treatments. "Most of the mice were completely cured. They remained permanently tumor-free, "says lead author Philipp Müller in an interview with the news agency" dpa ". In addition, the animals would not have developed a new cancer even after the transplantation of other tumor cells.
Scientists focus on HER2-positive breast cancer
The researchers around Prof. Alfred Zippelius focused in their study on the so-called "HER2-positive breast cancer", which affects about 15 to 20 percent of breast cancer patients. This is considered to be particularly aggressive, since it grows relatively faster and more often relapses (recurrences) comes. For the new treatment method, they used so-called "antibody drug conjugates" (antibody-drug conjugates, in short: ADCs), which have been used for some years in cancer therapy. These have a double effect: On the one hand, they consist of an antibody that binds specifically to the surface of tumor cells and thereby can interrupt important signaling pathways for cell growth. On the other hand, the ADCs transport a chemical substance into the tumor that causes cell death, according to the University.
Immunotherapy has so far been successful in black skin and lung cancer
The researchers used the antibody-drug conjugate "trastuzumab-emtansine" (T-DM1), which is approved in the EU as a drug for the treatment of advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. They combined the T-DM1 in a preclinical study on mouse models with an additional immunotherapy, which has the goal of activating the immune system for the fight against tumors. Immunotherapeutic approaches have been used successfully so far mainly in black skin and lung cancer, the researchers report in an interview with the news agency "dpa". But a problem in the previous form were the so-called molecular brakes ("checkpoints"), the experts continued. Although this would prevent too extreme an immune reaction, at the same time the immune cells would be blocked in the fight against the tumor.
Transferability to humans is given
However, the current study in mice suggests that the effect of immunotherapy by antibody-drug conjugates could possibly be significantly enhanced. "We consider the transferability to humans a given," explained Philipp Müller. Although breast cancer was chosen as a model for this trial, it can be assumed that the method could also be used successfully in other tumor types. An initial clinical trial is currently being prepared: "Our results suggest that antibody-drug conjugates may be suitable for use in combination therapy, opening new perspectives for the treatment of breast cancer," Dr. Philipp Müller. (No)