{"id":25757,"date":"2025-04-10T23:00:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T23:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=25757"},"modified":"2025-04-10T23:25:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T23:25:53","slug":"new-pill-can-slow-progression-of-incurable-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=25757","title":{"rendered":"New pill can slow progression of incurable breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">24 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">Philippa Roxby<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Health reporter<!-- --><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 EXUng\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/accc3360-164a-11f0-aaee-213277bc1295.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images A doctor wearing green scrubs and a face mask and hair net, looks at scans\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\"><b id=\"a-new-type-of-drug-for-one-of-the-most-common-kinds-of-advanced-breast-cancer-is-now-available-on-the-nhs-in-england.\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">A new type of drug for one of the most common kinds of advanced breast cancer is now available on the NHS in England.<!-- --><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Some 3,000 women a year could benefit from capivasertib after a clinical trial showed it can slow progression of the disease, and shrink tumours in a quarter of people.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The drug has been given the green light for NHS funding by England&#8217;s drug assessment body.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">It&#8217;s one of a range of treatment options available to people whose cancer has spread and is no longer curable, but a cancer charity said breast cancer drugs should be approved more quickly.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with one in seven women affected in their lifetimes and 75% surviving for 10 years or more after diagnosis. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">If the cancer returns and spreads to other parts of the body, treatments aim to control it, reduce the symptoms and improve quality of life.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Possible treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and drugs that help to stop the cancer growing &#8211; either by blocking hormones, boosting the body&#8217;s immune system or targeting what makes cancer cells grow.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">This new drug capivasertib is a targeted therapy. It works in a new way, blocking the activity of a protein molecule called AKT which drives cancer growth. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Scientists started working on the drug&#8217;s development 20 years ago and say it&#8217;s the most effective cancer drug they&#8217;ve seen for advanced cancer.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It presents a very effective option that can work for a long time &#8211; many months, and in some people it can be years,&#8221; said Prof Nick Turner, lead researcher and professor of medical oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMoa2214131\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">In trials, in 708 women,<!-- --><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMoa2214131\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\"> when combined with hormone therapy<!-- --><\/a>, the drug doubled the time the cancer took to grow, from 3.6 months to 7.3 months. It also shrank tumours in 23% of patients.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It can substantially delay chemotherapy which many women fear because of the side-effects,&#8221; Prof Turner added.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Advanced breast cancer is highly treatable and we want kinder, better treatments.&#8221; <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Four years of extra time&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2111a090-1630-11f0-ad14-a76bd5311d47.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Linda Kelly sits in an armchair in her home, wearing a purple blouse, with framed photos behind her on a table\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Linda Kelly, 67, is a keen gardener who keeps active by cycling 60 miles a week. She also does pilates.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Breast cancer has spread to her bones and chest wall.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But she&#8217;s had &#8220;fantastic&#8221; results from the new drug capivasertib.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It does let you have a normal kind of life and you forget you have cancer,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;You feel the drug is working and you can be a lot calmer &#8211; it&#8217;s given me nearly four years of extra time.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Linda and her husband are now planning to travel. She says the drug has given her hope.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It does make you think about your life, and what you want to do with your life in the future &#8211; but at least you feel well enough to make those plans and confident enough as well to fulfil some of those plans.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The drug is suitable for those with certain gene mutations that affect up to half of people with hormone receptor positive secondary breast cancer &#8211; the most common type, which grows in the presence of oestrogen.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Professor Peter Johnson, clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said it offered &#8220;an additional option&#8221; for some whose cancer has progressed despite previous hormone therapy &#8211; but it wouldn&#8217;t be suitable for everyone.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Claire Rowney, chief executive at charity Breast Cancer Now, said she was &#8220;delighted&#8221; that the drug would offer some people &#8220;the hope of more precious time to do what matters most to them&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But she said patients had &#8220;faced unnecessary delays in accessing it&#8221; after the drug was initially rejected by NICE, and breast cancer drugs should be approved more quickly for those who need them.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;NHS England must now put in place prompt genetic testing to ensure those eligible receive capivasertib without further delay,&#8221; she said, adding that Scotland should also consider funding the treatment quickly so that patients across the UK would have access. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>24 minutes ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24693,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25757"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25762,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25757\/revisions\/25762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}