Thousands more women with breast cancer could potentially benefit from a groundbreaking immunotherapy drug, according to new research presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Milan.
The drug, pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, has been shown to be effective in treating triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. However, the latest findings from a global trial suggest that it could be beneficial for a wider range of breast cancer patients.
Researchers found that combining pembrolizumab with chemotherapy before and after surgery could be effective in treating early-stage breast cancer that is at high risk of recurring or spreading further. This treatment approach was found to be effective regardless of the patient’s age or menopausal status.
The Keynote-756 trial, which has been running for eight years and includes over 1,200 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma, showed a significant increase in the rate of pathological complete response among those treated with pembrolizumab compared to those who received a placebo.
Dr. Simon Vincent of the UK charity Breast Cancer Now emphasized the importance of these findings, stating that new and effective treatments are desperately needed for breast cancer, which claims over 1,000 lives in the UK every month. He hopes that pembrolizumab can be licensed and made available to patients with ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer as soon as possible.
In addition to the promising results with pembrolizumab, researchers have also developed a genetic test that can predict how patients with triple-negative early-stage breast cancer will respond to immunotherapy drugs. This personalized approach could help patients avoid unnecessary side effects and receive more targeted treatment.
Overall, the new research presented at the conference offers hope for thousands of women with breast cancer who may benefit from this innovative treatment approach. Further studies are needed to confirm the long-term benefits of pembrolizumab, but the initial results are certainly promising.