It is understood some 3,000 women could benefit from capivasertib which is now available on the NHS in England.
Twenty years ago scientists began working on the drug which has now been made available on the NHS following a successful clinical trial. During the try-out it was discovered the pill can slow the progression of breast cancer and shrink tumours in a quarter of people.
To give further context, in 708 women, when they were using the drug alongside hormone therapy, capivasertib doubled the time the cancer took to grow, from 3.6 months to 7.3 months. It also shrank tumours in 23% of patients.
Capivasertib is a targeted therapy and has been found to work in a new way to other breast cancer treatments. The drug blocks the activity of a protein molecule called AKT which drives cancer growth.
‘It presents a very effective option that can work for a long time – many months, and in some people, it can be years,’ explained Professor Nick Turner, who is the lead researcher on the project and a professor of medical oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden.
‘It can substantially delay chemotherapy which many women fear because of the side-effects,’ he continued.
‘Advanced breast cancer is highly treatable, and we want kinder, better treatments.’
Against this backdrop, breast cancer has been discovered to be the most common form of cancer in the UK, with one in seven women affected in their lifetime and 75% surviving for 10 years or more following diagnosis.
While the drug has been approved in England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance have claimed it will also become available in Wales but is still awaiting full implementation.
Photo by Susan G. Komen 3-Day via UnSplash
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