And although we all have the idea that it is a pink ribbon cancer, with very high cure rates, there is a subtype that affects 12% of these patients and it is, as they themselves say, “a black ribbon cancer “.
It is the triple negative, which is tremendously aggressive, with faster growth, and which mainly affects young women, between 40 and 50 years of age.
And as if this were not enough, it is also a disease with limited therapeutic opportunities.
The new hope is called Trodelvy
But at last a hopeful medicine has just been approved in Spain, which allows changing the prognosis of this , which is estimated to have a survival of only 11% at five years, in addition to assuming a significant decrease in the quality of life, especially , due to the increased risk of recurrence and relapse.
It is the case of Trodelvya monotherapy (chosen as the best drug of the year at the Fundamed & Wecare-u Awards), which has been shown to increase the two-year survival of patients with CMTn who received two or more therapies.
An increase in survival that stands at 20.5% compared to chemotherapy, which is the other most widely used treatment to combat this tumor.
However, although this therapy was authorized by the European Commission in November 2021, it has not been until now when the National Health System (SNS) has incorporated it into its portfolio of services, which opens up hope for the thousands of women who suffer from this disease in our country.
“Increases survival by more than 70%”
as it stands out Maria RioVice President and General Manager of Gilead Spain:
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“After a robust clinical development program, Trodelvy has been shown to increase overall survival by more than 70 percent and significantly improve quality of life compared to chemotherapy.”
And it is that this new drug, Trodelvy, “is a faithful reflection of Gilead’s mission: to research and develop transformative drugs in life-threatening diseases and where there are no therapeutic alternatives.”
It is not often that a treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer is able to demonstrate an improvement in survival
An incurable disease, with a lower life prognosis, for which reason the public financing of the drug Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) “is essential”, as emphasized by the Dr. Javier Cortesdirector of the .
It was a “long-awaited” approval, due to two fundamental aspects:
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“In the first place, the poor prognosis of patients with triple negative breast cancer who have received previous treatment and the tumor has worsened despite the same
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Secondly, given the activity that it has shown in this group of patients, both in terms of global responses and disease control and as an improvement in survival”.
In fact, the Dr. Mafalda Oliveiraresearcher at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and member of the Board of Directors of the SOLTI Group for breast cancer research, stresses that:
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“It is not often that a treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer is able to demonstrate an improvement in survival compared to conventional treatment.”
Self-examination, essential for the detection of breast cancer
- It must be done monthly from the age of 20.
- Before the arrival of menopause, it is best to do it in the week after menstruation.
- Once the woman has entered the menopause it is essential to establish a fixed day each month.
- It is also convenient to self-examine during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. In the latter case, the best time will be after the shots.
The possibility of having this drug to treat patients with triple-negative breast cancer “is excellent news that delights not only patients but also health professionals.”
“We only ask for life, but we don’t have time”
During the month of October, coinciding with World Metastatic Breast Cancer Day, an initiative was presented in the Congress of Deputies, promoted by Gilead Oncology to raise awareness about this tumor, with one of different fields of medicine, pharmacology , psychology or management.
The Dr. Marta Santiestebanan oncologist at the Clínica Universidad Navarra, explains that “triple negative breast cancer is the worst of the breast tumors because, as its name suggests, it does not express any of the three usual receptors, which are estrogen, progesterone and the HER2 protein.
But, since it mainly affects young and premenopausal women, it is practically impossible to diagnose it on time, since this age group is not included in screening programs.
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“The first step to prevent progress to an advanced metastatic stage is to be able to diagnose at an early stage. It will be necessary to innovate in prevention but also, and fundamentally, influence the training and health education of the population”.