He breast cancer It is the most frequent type of tumor in women and a major social and health problem. Every year about 27,000 new cases are diagnosed in Spain and, although early diagnosis and the best medical therapies translate into increasingly higher survival rates“we must also talk about the women who do not heal“, explains Dr. Miguel Martín, president of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology and head of the Medical Oncology Service at the Gregorio Marañón University Hospital.
In this sense, andBetween 5% and 6% of breast cancer patients have metastases -reproduction of the tumor in other parts of the body- at the time of diagnosis and in 30% of cases diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage have relapses and an evolution to metastatic breast cancer, phase in which the 90% of deaths related to breast cancer. Hormone therapy to slow the progression of cancer
The postmenopausal patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer HR+/HER2- are the ones that will benefit from Kisqali (ribociclib), an innovation that Novartis presents in Spain after being approved in August by the European Commission. Kisqali is a new therapeutic class that helps slow the progression of metastatic breast cancer by inhibiting two proteins called kinases dependent on cyclins 4 and 6 (CDK4/6)2,3. “These kinases are important in the control and cell cycle activationand affect the growth of tumor cells. The inhibition of these kinases improves the hormonal treatment of many patients with advanced breast cancer and is reduces the risk of progression or death -with the tumor controlled- by 43%,” said Dr. Eva Ciruelos, president of the SOLTI research group and medical oncologist at the 12 de Octubre University Hospital, during the presentation.
The efficacy of Kisqali has been evaluated in a trial with 668 patients which resulted a median progression-free survival of 25.3 months for Kisqali (ribociclib) plus Letrozole -hormone therapy drug- vs. 16.0 months for Letrozole plus placebo. In addition, with this combination there has also been a mclinical improvement rapidly in patients with measurable disease and a reduction in tumor size in 76% of patients after only eight weeks versus 67% with letrozole plus placebo. “It provides a significant benefit in radiological and clinical response. In other words, the reduction in tumor size is greater and, therefore, patients present a greater relief of symptoms with hardly any side effects“, explained Dr. Ciruelos. Fundamental role of nursing and psycho-oncology
He aim in the medium term is to increase the years of survival and, therefore, make breast cancer chronic“, explained Dr. Miguel Martín. His statement paints a scenario in which nursing and psycho-oncology play every time un most relevant role. “It is vital to promote coordinated and comprehensive care for this disease, which attends to the physical, social and emotional aspects of patients“, commented Tatiana Massarrah, coordinator of the Clinical and Translational Research Unit of Medical Oncology at the Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital. Fátima Castaño, a psychologist specializing in oncology, also spoke in this sense, adding that “health professionals should not only look for the better results in oncological treatments but also to detect and attend to the psychological difficulties of both patients and their families“.