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Breast cancer patients’ survival time has doubled in past decade

"It means that for the majority of patients, they have two or three extra years of life, with good quality of life as well."

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By Joe Morgan via SWNS

The average survival time for many advanced breast cancer patients has now doubled in the past decade, according to new research.

Improved treatments mean about half of patients in the later stages of the disease can live for five years or longer.

When breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, called metastatic or "stage four,' it becomes harder to treat and the average survival rate is low as a result.

But while treatment has vastly improved for two out of the three most common types of advanced breast cancer, the third will hopefully be within reach by 2025.

The most common subtype of advanced breast cancer is known as hormonal-dependent because its growth is fuelled by estrogen.

Another subtype is known as HER2+ because the cancer cells make too much of a protein known as HER2, which stimulates their growth.

In the past decade, the median survival for these two subtypes of ABC, which together make up 85 percent of cases, has risen from just one or two years to five years.

This means that half of patients with these cancers may live for more than five years, with some living for as long as 10 years.

Side view of a nurse preparing a patient for a mammogram at x-ray machine in the hospital
About half of patients in the later stages of the disease can live for five years or longer (Shutterstock)

The third subtype, known as triple-negative cancer because it is not fuelled by estrogen and it does not over-produce HER2, has fewer treatment options and patients have worse survival as a result.

Actress Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy after discovering she had the genes for this type of breast cancer.

In the last couple of years, hope has risen for this subtype as well, with two new treatments providing some survival benefit.

Professor Fatima Cardoso, chair of the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance, said: “We have made a major step towards our goal of doubling average survival times for patients because we have now achieved this in two out of three subtypes of advanced breast cancer.

“This disease is still incurable, but we have come a long way and this progress makes me feel hopeful.

"It means that for the majority of patients, they have two or three extra years of life, with good quality of life as well.

"Survival has also improved for patients with triple negative disease, but we need to do more for these patients, especially as it tends to affect younger people who often have young children to care for.

“A decade ago there was a terrible lack of research about how to help patients with advanced breast cancer and, as a result, we had to base most of our recommendations on the opinion of experts.

“We’ve worked hard to galvanize the research community around this issue, and we’ve made major progress over the last ten years.

"This year, as a result, most of our recommendations for treating advanced breast cancer are now based on the best possible scientific evidence, called level 1.

"This is good news for patients because they can be confident that the treatments they are offered are backed by the best science and have the best chance of keeping them well for longer.”

The research was presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Sixth International Consensus Conference.

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