Study: Chemotherapy Drug Helps With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

The chemotherapy drug Taxotere (docetaxel) has been shown to both improve survival and reduce the risk of cancer returning by about 30 per cent in women with early-stage breast cancer, according to Canadian researchers.

The Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta said that docetaxel, already a standard treatment for advanced breast cancer, produced "statistically significant" results in a five-year study involving women whose early-stage breast cancer had spread to their lymph nodes.

In the study group, docetaxel was prescribed along with two other chemotherapy drugs after surgery. A control group received another cancer treatment in which the drug 5-fluorouracil was used with the same other two chemotherapy drugs.

For the women who received docetaxel, the risk of the cancer recurring within five years was reduced by 28 per cent, and the risk of death was lowered by 30 per cent, said Dr. John Mackey.

"This is really quite a step forward" and it means doctors may be able to cure more women with the early-stage disease, Mackey said.

Because of the results of this study, the Alberta Cancer Board has already authorized doctors in the province to use it with early-stage breast cancer patients.

"It is what I recommend (to patients), now that I've seen the results," Mackey said.

Other Sources: Edmonton Sun