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Studies Report Progress Against Breast and Gynecologic Cancers

CONTACT:Annual Meeting News Room
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Orlando, Fla. – Advances in the treatment of cancers that primarily affect women were released today at a press briefing at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

“The studies presented today demonstrate continued progress against breast, ovarian and cervical cancers, which are major causes of cancer mortality worldwide,” said Eric P. Winer, MD, Chair of ASCO’s Cancer Communications Committee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and moderator of the briefing. “One study tells us that women can safely avoid unnecessary blood tests and can delay toxic treatment for ovarian cancer recurrence without compromising their longevity. Others report on a promising new class of targeted drugs for some of the most difficult-to-treat breast cancers. And others provide more effective and less invasive options for treating cervical cancer, which is a particularly significant problem in developing countries.”

Studies highlighted in the press briefing include:

• No survival advantage to treating ovarian cancer relapse based on rising CA125 levels, compared with waiting for symptoms: A study featured in ASCO’s plenary session reports that starting treatment immediately for an ovarian cancer relapse based on CA125 protein levels found in the blood does not improve overall survival, compared with delaying treatment until symptoms arise. The findings should allow women to avoid the anxiety and cost associated with frequent blood testing and the toxicity of early treatment.
• PARP inhibitors show promise for hard-to-treat breast cancers: Two studies, including one featured in ASCO’s plenary session, report promising data on a new class of targeted drugs called PARP inhibitors. The plenary study reports that women with hard-to-treat “triple-negative” breast cancer who received the PARP inhibitor BSI-201 along with conventional chemotherapy had better outcomes than women who received chemotherapy alone. A second study reports that women with BRCA-deficient advanced breast cancer experienced tumor shrinkage after receiving the PARP inhibitor olaparib as a single agent.
• Gemcitabine plus chemoradiation improves cervical cancer survival: Adding the drug gemcitabine (Gemzar) to cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy extends overall survival among women with locally advanced cervical cancer. This study was primarily conducted in developing countries, where cervical cancer screening programs are limited.
• Sentinel node biopsy is an effective option for early-stage cervical cancer: Most women with early-stage cervical cancer can safely undergo sentinel node biopsy – a technique in which only one or two lymph nodes are removed to determine whether cancer has spread – in lieu of the traditional, more invasive pelvic lymph node removal, which can lead to more significant side effects. Sentinel node biopsy was also as effective for detecting cancer spread to atypical areas of the pelvis.

For consumer-oriented information on these studies and more than 120 cancer types, please refer your readers to ASCO’s patient website, www.Cancer.Net.

To view the entire release with associated abstracts click here.