Breast cancer may soon be cured in six weeks

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have found that a combination of drugs given to breast cancer patients on a regular basis may help destroy tumors in a shorter period of time.

A previous research by the same team showed that a combination of drugs--doxorubicin, a chemo drug usually given to stop tumor growth, and zoledronic acid, treatment given to protect bone in advanced breast cancer--had significantly reduced the cancerous tumors when given in a particular sequence.

Mouse model studied
The team now intended to test whether or not similar results could be achieved in a lesser time span.

Senior lecturer Dr Ingunn Holen from the University of Sheffield´s Academic Unit of Clinical Oncology and colleagues carried out a lab experiment on a mouse model to come up with the latest conclusion.

For the study, one group of mice was treated with the combination for six months, while the other group was assigned similar treatment for six weeks.

The scientists observed that there was considerable decline in the size of cancerous tumors in the mice treated with the combination for six weeks compared to those treated for six months.

Comparison of the results of both the groups showed that a full course of combination drugs given over a period of six weeks was as effective as six months of treatment.

Findings useful
Scientists are hopeful that, if successful in larger trials, the combination treatment will eliminate months of chemotherapy and also reduce the risk of side effects.

Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to attack the cancer tumors. In the process, it also affects normal actively-dividing cells alongside killing the cancer cells.

Most patients undergoing such treatment experience side effects like nausea, vomiting, hair loss, decrease in blood count, mouth sours and ulcers and in some cases permanent infertility.

Dr Holen said, "These findings are very promising and show that a significant reduction in tumour growth is maintained for a long time using this combination. Clinical studies in patients are now needed to verify these results."

Details of the research are published in The International Journal of Cancer.

Breast cancer and symptoms
Breast cancer develops in the breast tissue, primarily in the milk ducts or glands.

It begins with the formation of a small, confined tumor (lump), which may spread through channels to the lymph nodes or through the blood stream to other organs, according to WebMD.

In the early stages, the disease may be asymptomatic. However, once the tumor develops, the symptoms of breast cancer become apparent, like a lump in the breast or underarm that persists after your menstrual cycle, swelling in the armpit, any change in the size, contour, texture, or temperature of the breast, unusual discharge from the nipple that may be clear, bloody, or another color.