Herceptin 'shown to save lives'

Research provides strong evidence that controversial drug Herceptin is effective at treating the early stages of a certain type of breast cancer.

The drug was only approved by the NHS to treat early stage breast cancer last year after a long-running campaign.

The Lancet study, by London's Royal Marsden Hospital, provides the science to underpin that decision.

It showed the drug reduced death rates among women with early HER2-positive breast cancer.

Clearly there remains the need for further research into the long-term effects of Herceptin

Maria Leadbeater

Breast Cancer Care

Up to 25% of all breast cancers are of this hormone-sensitive type.

The Marsden team gave Herceptin to 1,703 breast cancer patients for one year after surgery and chemotherapy. Another 1,698 women did not receive the drug.

Ninety women in the control group died, but there were only 59 deaths among those given Herceptin (technical name trastuzumab).

Overall, Herceptin reduced the absolute risk of death by 1.8% over two years - effectively saving one extra life for every 55 patients treated.

Side effects

However, there were more serious side effects - including a raised risk of heart failure - in the Herceptin group.

Lead researcher Dr Ian Smith, from the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, said: "Our results indicate that trastuzumab shows a significant overall survival benefit in early breast cancer over observation alone after chemotherapy.

"The survival benefit that has emerged over such a short period emphasises the potential of this approach and underlines the importance of developing further specific targeted therapies in breast and other cancers."

Any drug getting approval for such widespread usage has to be properly evaluated by Nice, and would never just be rushed into use as a result of publicity

Department of Health

Herceptin was approved for use in treating early stage breast cancer by the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) last August.

This followed legal action - and a high profile media campaign - by protestors, who argued it was wrong to deny patients a drug which could potentially save their life.

However, a study published in the British Medical Journal in November questioned the merits of the NICE ruling.

The researchers, at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust and the University of East Anglia, warned that paying for Herceptin would mean treatment for other cancer patients would have to be dropped to "balance the books".

They called for NICE to say what should be cut to fund new drugs. The drug costs around £20,000 per year.

Professor John Toy, Cancer Research UK's medical director, said the findings showed the benefits of Herceptin gradually diminished after stopping treatment.

"Although Herceptin is clearly a valuable new treatment, questions remain about how long it's best to prescribe it for and how best to combine it with other breast cancer treatments."

Maria Leadbeater, of the charity Breast Cancer Care, agreed: "Clearly there remains the need for further research into the long-term effects of Herceptin, which will enable us to establish the ideal duration of treatment along with a more thorough understanding of its side effects."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "The NICE process for approving Herceptin for use in the NHS was fast-tracked through by the Department of Health, and was certainly not only given approval as a result of court cases.

"Any drug getting approval for such widespread usage has to be properly evaluated by NICE, and would never just be rushed into use as a result of publicity."