Drug ‘Can Halve Risk of Cancer Returning’

THOUSANDS of lives could be saved each year by a drug which can stop breast cancer recurring, say U.S.

researchers.

Two trials have shown that Herceptin halves the risk when given at an early stage.

It worked against an a g g r e s s i v e t y p e o f tumour known as HER-2 positive, found in a fifth of the 40,000 breast cancer cases diagnosed in the UK each year.

It is a fast-growing and frequently fatal form of the disease. Each year some 5,500 women with this form of cancer are told the disease has spread.

Herceptin, also known as trastuzumab, is currently used by the NHS for women with advanced disease.

It would have to be reassessed before it could be cleared for the new use.

Laboratory tests can show whether a patient has HER-2 positive breast cancer but surveys show that only around a third of victims are ever tested.