New drug reduces tumor size in women with advanced hereditary ovarian or breast cancer

Published: Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 09:16 in Health & Medicine
Understanding the underlying genetic weakness of certain types of cancer may lead to targeted therapy and provide the key to effective treatment, a new study suggests. An international consortium of researchers has shown that an investigational drug, Olaparib, can reduce the size of tumors in women with advanced hereditary ovarian cancer with BRCA gene mutations. The Phase II ovarian cancer study results – as well as another Phase II trial in which Cedars-Sinai researchers also participated that evaluated the drug's effectiveness in the treatment of hereditary breast cancer – were published in a recent issue of Lancet. The two trials showed similar levels of response to the genetically-targeted drug in both breast and ovarian cancers with BRCA mutations.

"These are significant new studies. Olaparib is the first single-agent, non-chemotherapy treatment to show benefit to patients with cancers that result from BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations," said William Audeh, M.D., an oncologist specializing in cancer genetics at Cedars-Sinai's Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and first author on the ovarian cancer study "Until now, treatments for cancer have been selected based upon where in the body the cancer originated. These two studies suggest that it is the underlying genetic weakness of a cancer, not the organ of origin, that is the key to selecting effective therapy."

The first author of the breast cancer study and the principal investigator for both studies was Andrew Tutt, M.D., Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit, King's College London School of Medicine.


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http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/08/12/new.drug.reduces.tumor.size.women.with.advanced.hereditary.ovarian.or.breast.cancer

In the last couple of months the family has learned that her mother and aunts all are carriers as are several of her cousins.

My daughter is needing something with a shred of hope.

Thanks for posting this.

My SIL could use it right now. Hopefully this becomes available and accessible in the future for women in her situation.

I keep hoping for a breakthrrough in this. My mother died young of breast cancer. It is horrible.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, from Florida was talking about. She had a type of cancer which was identified by DNA testing particular to certain Jewish Tribes. She's ok now.

Most likely not the same drug therapy since this is the clinical trial phase. The good news is we're making progress, just not fast enough for some.

My best friend died of hereditary ovarian cancer Feb 2007.

I miss her a lot.

How long have all of us waited for something that could keep this killer at bay...