Herceptin: Breast cancer drug test for all

I would like to share with you an article I have just read today: on many occasion, we had to deal with breast cancer in my family. And I am not the only one... But we need to communicate to make things go forward!

This new drug could prove to be very useful and could play an important part in saving hundreds of thousands lives.

Breast cancer in the UK
One in every nine women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in her life - more than 41,000 cases are diagnosed each year.
It has become the most common cancer in the UK, and is the leading cause of death for women aged 34 to 54.

Herceptin
All women with early stage breast cancer are to be tested to see if they could benefit from the drug Herceptin, the government has announced.

The drug is currently only licensed for use in women with advanced breast cancer.

But it is also thought to be effective at treating the early stages.

Testing now should mean women in England who could benefit can receive the drug as soon as the licence is extended, probably next year. (...)

(full article)

Herceptin facts

* It targets the HER2 protein, which can fuel the growth of breast tumours

* Herceptin prevents this process happening

* Around a fifth of breast cancers are HER2 positive

* It is currently licensed for use in women with advanced breast cancer - where the disease has spread * within the breast or to another organ

* Early stage breast cancer refers to the first occurrence of the disease

* The cost for one year's treatment with Herceptin is £19,500