National Cancer Institute reveals milestones in the treatment of breast cancer and leukemia

Dr Alaa El Haddad, Dean of the NCI, Professor of Pediatric Oncology, and Conference President, highlighted that the Institute aims to transform perceptions toward cancer by raising awareness that today, many types of cancer are completely curable.

"Medical breakthroughs have changed the treatment landscape for cancer patients, specifically for breast cancer and CML," he said.

"Breast cancer is the number one cancer affecting women in Egypt; it accounts for 35% of all cancers. One out of every five cancer patients treated by the NCI is a breast cancer patient, yet today it is one of the most curable cancers."

Dr Hossam Kamel, President of Cairo University and Professor of Haematology, NCI said, "Medical discoveries transformed a deadly disease to one with cure rates reaching 70%."

He explained that CML is a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. It then moves into the blood and can spread to other parts of the body. With an age-adjusted incidence rate of 1.5 per 100,000 men and women per year, the average age at diagnosis is 40 years.

"Until 2000, no effective treatments for CML existed; stem cell transplants were the only option with limited success and high mortality rates. The first generation of targeted therapies, Glivec (imatinib), gave patients hope for the first time. The second generation, including Tasigna (nilotinib), revolutionized CML treatment outcomes; they not only provided a treatment option, but a chance for achieving complete cure. Studies have shown that Tasigna (nilotinib) drastically improves survival rates and raises cure rates by 45 - 85% compared to first generation treatments," said Dr Hossam.

Moving on to the leading cancer affecting women, Dr Tarek Shouman, Head of the Radiology Department at the NCI, said that over 1 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer every year (1.4 million in 2008), yet detected at an early stage, it is increasingly curable.

"Targeted therapies introduced in the beginning of the 21st century, tremendously improved survival; breast cancer mortality dropped from 60% in 1992 to 40% in 2009."

Dr Rabab Gaafar, Professor of Medical Oncology, NCI underlined that early detection is key for achieving better cure rates, "nearly 90% of breast cancer cases are curable if detected early." she praised efforts that have made early screening more accessible.

"One of the major challenges we face is that the number of breast cancer cases diagnosed at an advanced stage are nearly double the number of cases diagnosed at early stages," said Dr Rabab.

"However there have been treatment strides for advanced breast cancer; one of the most significant drug approvals is the FDA and EU approval of Afinitor (everolimus) for postmenopausal women with advanced hormone receptor-positive, or HR+, breast cancer. Administered orally, the drug has much less side effects, such as hair loss, helping patients resume their regular lifestyle."

"Women with advanced breast cancer are treated with endocrine therapies. Eventually however, the tumors could become resistant to these drugs, Afinitor (everolimus) reverses the resistance to hormonal therapy, allowing the treatment to work again. Studies have shown that women with advanced breast cancer treated with both everolimus and the endocrine therapy exemestane had 11 months of progression-free survival - the length of time during and after treatment during which the disease does not worsen - compared to 4.1 months for women who were given exemestane alone," said Dr Rabab.

She emphasized that delayed treatment for advanced breast cancer has a profound effect; studies have shown that women who wait more than 60 days to begin treatment for advanced breast cancer face significantly higher risks of dying than women who start therapy shortly after diagnosis.

Dr Heba El Zawahry, Head of the Medical Oncology Department at the NCI, said that women diagnosed with breast cancer face pressures affecting treatment outcomes and called for a cultural shift.

"Our culture must support breast cancer patients, the concept that cancer is incurable no longer holds true. The majority of breast cancer cases are in fact treatable if detected early," she said.

"Women must be encouraged to go for regular screening. Women's fear of complete breast removal remains the main reason for their aversion to screening. Newer therapies however have made simpler and smaller surgeries possible, involving only the removal of tumors."