Breast cancer usually begins with the formation of a small well-defined tumor. Some tumors are benign, meaning they do not invade other tissues, others are malignant, or cancerous. Malignant tumors have the potential to be metastases, namely to spread. Once such a tumor reaches a certain size, it is more likely to radiate cells and spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream and lymphatic system.
Different types of breast cancer grow and spread at different rates. Some of them have years to spread beyond the breast, while others spread rapidly. Fortunately, breast cancer is very treatable if detected early. Localized tumors can usually be successfully treated before the cancer spreads, and in 9 of 10 cases, the patient will live at least another 5 years. Experts generally consider the survival of 5 years is a cure.
After the cancer begins to spread, completely getting rid of it is more difficult, although treatment can often keep the disease under control for years. Improved procedures for screening and better treatment options make sure that over seven in ten female breast cancer patients will survive more than five years after initial diagnosis, and half of them survive more than 10 years.
According to studies, the combination of the breast cancer drug Avastin with chemotherapy can double the chances of survival for women with breast cancer. The cancer patients that cannot be treated with Herceptin, another breast cancer drug, can have their chances of recovery boosted if they receive treatment that deprives tumors of blood.
Avastin is designed to block the nutrients that feed tumors and has been shown to significantly slow down the disease. This breast cancer drug is already used to treat bowel cancer, and was administered in combination with chemotherapy drug Taxol. The second battles it out with cancer at a different level. Chemotherapy attacks the tumor while Avastin prevents the formation of blood vessels, by removing nutrients.
The cancer has remained stable for 11.4 months in women taking the 2 drugs combined, in contrast to 6.11 months in those who took Taxol alone. The study raises the life expectancy of 80% of patients suffering from breast cancer, who have tumors with a different genetic pattern, which Herceptin can not treat.
Herceptin reduces the risk of cancer recurrence by half, attacking a protein produced by cancer with the HER2 gene. This is a good option only 1 in 5 patients with this disease. Avastin, also known as bevacizumab, and produced by the company Roche, is recommended for the remaining patients.
Robin Zon, a researcher taking part in the study, said: "These results are good news for women suffering from breast cancer. We have demonstrated that this works in some patients, those with disease in advanced form. By proving this, we hope to use bevacizumab (Avastin) in the population suffering from breast cancer and metastasis to lymph nodes, increasing the chances of cure".