Experts Call for Breast Cancer Trials Aimed at Younger Patients
A lack of clinical trials aimed specifically at younger patients with breast cancer could be partly to blame for their poor survival rates, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Study Details
The study analyzed 2,956 women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40 who were treated at 127 hospitals in the United Kingdom. The median age of patients was 36 years. The trial looked at survival for younger patients with estrogen receptor–positive disease.
The findings revealed a rapid increase in disease relapse after 5 years in younger estrogen receptor–positive patients who had received the standard treatment of chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen for 5 years. This finding was in contrast to observations from previous studies in older women that do not show the same steep relapse rate after 5 years.
The research suggests that taking tamoxifen for a longer period of time may be beneficial to younger patients. But the study also highlights the need for young patients with breast cancer to be targeted to take part in clinical trials to explore different treatment approaches.
Need for Tailored Treatment
Chief investigator Dianna Eccles, MB ChB, MD, FRCP, Professor of Cancer Genetics at the University of Southampton and Head of Cancer Research UK’s Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said, “This study adds to the evidence that breast cancer can behave very differently when diagnosed in younger women. They may require a different approach to treatment—which isn’t necessarily understood from cancer trials in older patients.
“Research is the key to improving survival for these women, and we urgently need trials to help us develop new treatments tailored specifically at this age group,” she added.
Kate Law, Director of Clinical Research at Cancer Research UK, said, “Although in general breast cancer survival has improved dramatically in recent decades, with women now twice as likely to survive their disease for at least 10 years compared to those diagnosed in the 1970s, the same can’t be said for younger breast cancer patients.”
However, she noted that progress has been made, especially in the area of PARP inhibitors for patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, which are showing promise in clinical trials. “But there’s still so much more we want to do to improve treatment for younger breast cancer patients and ultimately ensure that all women beat their disease,” she said.
The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and The Wessex Cancer Trust.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
