Game-changing drug could boost breast cancer survival rate

Treatment cuts risk of recurrence by 25% for most common form of disease, trials suggest

- Andrew Gregory

Thousands of women with the world's most common form of breast cancer could benefit from a game-changing drug that helps them live longer and cuts the risk of the disease returning by a quarter.

More than 2 million people globally are diagnosed each year with the disease, which is the world's most prevalent cancer. Although treatments have improved in recent decades, the cancer returns for many patients. If a recurrence does occur, it is often at a more advanced stage.

Now, "very promising" research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) annual meeting, the world's largest cancer conference, suggests that a new targeted therapy drug, ribociclib, could be transformative. Trial results show it can boost survival and significantly slash the chances of cancer coming back.

Ribociclib has previously shown survival benefits in breast cancer patients whose disease has spread. In the new study, researchers found it may also boost outcomes for patients with much earlier-stage disease, including those with cancer that has not yet spread to the lymph nodes.

The findings excited researchers and oncologists at Asco's meeting in Chicago because the data suggests the drug, also known as Kisqali, could ward off the threat of cancer returning in a broad population, and change global practice.

Ribociclib is a targeted therapy called a small molecule inhibitor. It works by targeting proteins in breast cancer cells called CDK4 and CDK6, which modulate cell growth, including the growth of cancer cells.