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Monday, Jun 02, 2025
Outside the box.
New Triple Therapy for Advanced Breast Cancer Shows Promising Results
A groundbreaking study reveals a combination of targeted therapies that significantly improves survival rates and delays disease progression.
A recent study has highlighted the effectiveness of a new triple therapy for advanced, aggressive breast cancer, showing promising results in prolonging survival and delaying disease progression.
The combination treatment consists of two targeted drugs, inavolisib and palbociclib, alongside hormone therapy with fulvestrant.
Results indicate that patients receiving this combination experience an average overall survival increase of seven months compared to those in the control group, who were only given palbociclib and fulvestrant.
The study found that the new therapy delayed disease progression by an average of 17.2 months, in contrast to just 7.3 months in the control group.
Additionally, patients on the inavolisib regimen managed to postpone the need for subsequent chemotherapy by nearly two years longer than those not receiving inavolisib.
Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this international trial included 325 participants across 28 countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, France, and Germany.
Experts indicated that the trial demonstrates the potential of the triple therapy specifically for targeting PIK3CA-mutated HR+, HER2- breast cancer, which constitutes approximately 70% of breast cancer cases.
PIK3CA mutations, found in 35% to 40% of HR+ breast cancers, are linked to tumor growth and treatment resistance.
Dr. Jane Lowe Meisel, co-director of breast medical oncology at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, emphasized the significance of these findings, stating that the targeted regimen offers a substantial improvement in survival for patients with untreated PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Further results demonstrated substantial tumor shrinkage, with approximately 62.7% of patients in the triple therapy group experiencing a reduction in cancer growth compared to 28% in the control group.
The trial also noted that the inavolisib-based combination was generally well-tolerated, with few patients reporting side effects severe enough to discontinue treatment.
The methodology for determining the presence of PIK3CA mutations involved circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) liquid biopsy blood tests.
Participants were allocated to receive either the new inavolisib regimen or a placebo combination.
Nick Turner, a professor of molecular oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, highlighted that these key findings affirm the potential of inavolisib-based therapy to extend survival while significantly delaying cancer progression and the onset of chemotherapy treatment.
In parallel advancements, a groundbreaking Australian development aims to improve landmine detection, potentially offering life-saving technology to regions affected by unexploded ordnance.
This innovative device, created by the company MRead, uses magnetic resonance to detect explosive compounds, advancing the field significantly since conventional landmine detectors often yield numerous false positives.
Despite the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty enacted almost three decades ago, landmines continue to claim approximately 6,000 lives each year worldwide.
MRead's technology aims to definitively identify the presence of explosives underground, which could transform clearance operations.
Initial trials of this technology have occurred in Angola, where the device effectively detected the explosive compound RDX, and ongoing developments are geared towards detecting TNT, the most commonly used explosive in landmines.
With active minefield trials anticipated to commence in 2026, experts emphasize the significance of these advancements, particularly in conflict zones such as Ukraine, where millions of explosives threaten safety and access for the population.
The combination treatment consists of two targeted drugs, inavolisib and palbociclib, alongside hormone therapy with fulvestrant.
Results indicate that patients receiving this combination experience an average overall survival increase of seven months compared to those in the control group, who were only given palbociclib and fulvestrant.
The study found that the new therapy delayed disease progression by an average of 17.2 months, in contrast to just 7.3 months in the control group.
Additionally, patients on the inavolisib regimen managed to postpone the need for subsequent chemotherapy by nearly two years longer than those not receiving inavolisib.
Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this international trial included 325 participants across 28 countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, France, and Germany.
Experts indicated that the trial demonstrates the potential of the triple therapy specifically for targeting PIK3CA-mutated HR+, HER2- breast cancer, which constitutes approximately 70% of breast cancer cases.
PIK3CA mutations, found in 35% to 40% of HR+ breast cancers, are linked to tumor growth and treatment resistance.
Dr. Jane Lowe Meisel, co-director of breast medical oncology at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, emphasized the significance of these findings, stating that the targeted regimen offers a substantial improvement in survival for patients with untreated PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Further results demonstrated substantial tumor shrinkage, with approximately 62.7% of patients in the triple therapy group experiencing a reduction in cancer growth compared to 28% in the control group.
The trial also noted that the inavolisib-based combination was generally well-tolerated, with few patients reporting side effects severe enough to discontinue treatment.
The methodology for determining the presence of PIK3CA mutations involved circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) liquid biopsy blood tests.
Participants were allocated to receive either the new inavolisib regimen or a placebo combination.
Nick Turner, a professor of molecular oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, highlighted that these key findings affirm the potential of inavolisib-based therapy to extend survival while significantly delaying cancer progression and the onset of chemotherapy treatment.
In parallel advancements, a groundbreaking Australian development aims to improve landmine detection, potentially offering life-saving technology to regions affected by unexploded ordnance.
This innovative device, created by the company MRead, uses magnetic resonance to detect explosive compounds, advancing the field significantly since conventional landmine detectors often yield numerous false positives.
Despite the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty enacted almost three decades ago, landmines continue to claim approximately 6,000 lives each year worldwide.
MRead's technology aims to definitively identify the presence of explosives underground, which could transform clearance operations.
Initial trials of this technology have occurred in Angola, where the device effectively detected the explosive compound RDX, and ongoing developments are geared towards detecting TNT, the most commonly used explosive in landmines.
With active minefield trials anticipated to commence in 2026, experts emphasize the significance of these advancements, particularly in conflict zones such as Ukraine, where millions of explosives threaten safety and access for the population.
