Study Osteoporosis drug reduces risk of recurrence in breast cancer

Relapse risk in hormone-dependent breast cancer significantly reduced
The relapse rate in postmenopausal, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients can be significantly reduced by an osteoporosis drug, so the surprising result of a recent study at the MedUni Vienna. "The addition of a monoclonal antibody (drug denosumab) for adjuvant therapy with aromatase inhibitors in affected women has reduced the risk of recurrence by 18 percent, the MedUni reported the results of the breast cancer study ABCSG 18. Thus, the drug not only reduces the risk of Bone fractures in osteoporosis, but also leads to an increased survival rate in the breast cancer patients mentioned.

According to the MedUni Vienna, the convincing effect of denosumab in osteoporosis was already presented at the beginning of June 2015 in the specialist journal "The Lancet". The drug has reduced the risk of bone fractures "by a remarkable 50 percent" in therapy-induced osteoporosis - with virtually no unpleasant side effects ... Now the scientists around Michael Gnant, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) and President of the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG) show that denosumab also significantly reduces the likelihood of a relapse in hormone-dependent breast cancer. The researchers expect to see an early adaptation of the clinical treatment of postmenopausal, hormone receptor positive breast cancer. The results were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), one of the largest and most important breast cancer congresses in the world, continues MedUni Vienna.

The risk of a relapse in hormone-dependent breast cancer can be significantly reduced by the osteoporosis drug denosumab. (Bil: underdogstudios / fotolia.com)

Significant reduction in the risk of relapse
In the context of the placebo-controlled adjuvant study ABCSG 18, the scientists used data from 3,425 postmenopausal breast cancer patients to determine the effect denosumab has on disease-free survival (DFS). In total, 370 patients relapsed in the four-year period, with a significantly higher number in the placebo group (203 events) than in the denosumab group (167 cases). Thus, the reduction in the recurrence rate of breast cancer is above the statistical significance limit , the researchers report. "This result is highly gratifying as it shows that adjuvant denosumab not only halves fractures but also reduces the rate of recurrence of breast cancer," continues Michael Gnant. For a long time, medicine has been dreaming of "favorably influencing the cure rate through a change in the microenvironment," and with ABCSG 18, this succeeds once more, emphasizes the study leader.

Adaptation of the therapy expected
Some patients have benefited, according to the scientists particularly clearly from the use of the drug denosumab concomitant to the usual aromatase inhibitor therapy. Thus, a clearly significant result was found especially in tumors over two centimeters in size and with early treatment and tumors with a particularly high receptor density. In view of the current findings, an immediate change in clinical practice is to be expected. Denosumab had little side effects and was "in the adjuvant therapy over the bisphosphonates", which is why the drug in the opinion of Michael Gnant "all postmenopausal, hormone receptor positive breast cancer patients should be offered" should. The bisphosphonates, which are also used to treat osteoporosis, are known to have a positive impact on disease-free survival in breast cancer patients. Denosumab works in a similar way to bisphosphonates, but with greater efficacy it has lower toxicity and can easily be given as an injection under the skin (60 mg twice a year subcutaneously), explains MedUni Vienna. (Fp)