Sometimes these tumors they even disappear, which means that patients no longer have to undergo chemotherapy.
The treatment, consisting of two drugs taken together, was tested on 257 women diagnosed with cancer breast. The doctors who conducted the study claim that they did not expect any moment for such important results, informs BBC.
The drugs were only tested as treatment for the period after tumor discovery and surgery. But when the women arrived at the operating table, in some cases it was noticed that there were no signs of cancer in the body.
“We were surprised by these results, especially since it was a very short-term study,” said Professor Judith Bliss of the Cancer Research Institute in London.
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The two drugs that have taken the scientific community by surprise and in which millions of women put their trust are called Lapatinib and Trastuzumab, the latter being known mainly as Herceptin.
Both target the HER2 protein, which nourishes certain types of tumors in breast cancer. While Herceptin acts on the surface of the tumor, the other drug penetrates the tumor cells.
The study included patients with different types of tumors measuring between 1 and 3 cm. In less than two weeks of treatment, the cancer disappeared completely in 11% of cases, and in another 17% the tumors shrank to less than 5 mm. The effects were seen especially in tumors fed by HER2 protein.
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For this time of cancer, nourished by HER2 protein, the classic treatment means surgery, followed by chemotherapy.
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