23.05.2008 at 08:00
- Category:
Cancer and Oncology
BASEL, Switzerland -- Patients with breast or colorectal cancer, two of the world's most common cancers, can expect further treatment advances with Avastin(R) (bevacizumab) and Herceptin(R) (trastuzumab) following new data that is being presented at the 44th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago at the end of May. Around 30,000 medical experts will attend the meeting which is the premier event for cancer therapy worldwide.
The Roche data will show that Avastin and Herceptin are continuing to offer further hope of improving survival in patients with cancers that are still devastating thousands of lives each year.
Breast cancer
- Avastin: Late-breaking Phase III data from the AVADO study investigating Avastin in combination with docetaxel (docetaxel, also known as Taxotere, is one of the most commonly used chemotherapies for breast cancer) will highlight the encouraging efficacy and safety results in patients treated first-line for locally recurrent or metastatic HER-2 negative breast cancer.
- Herceptin: New results using Herceptin-based therapy for patients with aggressive HER-2 positive breast cancer will also be unveiled. The GBG26 study data will focus on the importance of continued treatment with Herceptin in women with advanced metastatic breast cancer whose disease progressed on a Herceptin-based therapy.
- Pertuzumab: Very promising phase II data will be presented on the investigational drug pertuzumab which will highlight the benefits that pertuzumab in combination with Herceptin could offer to patients with advanced breast cancer. Pertuzumab is the first of a new, innovative class of targeted agents known as HER dimerisation inhibitors that inhibit cancer cell growth and ultimately lead to death of cancer cells
Colorectal cancer
- Avastin: The first presentation of data from Avastin-based therapy with or without cetuximab (a drug which attacks cancer differently to Avastin) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer will be shared.
- Avastin: Impressive long-term overall survival data at two years, involving some 4,000 patients treated with Avastin first-line in combination with a variety of chemotherapy regimens will confirm the pivotal role that Avastin is now playing in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The results of the studies are significant because over 50 percent of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer currently die of the disease and these data show that improvements in survival are achievable. (1)
Roche will present nearly 300 abstracts and posters at ASCO that demonstrate advances in other major cancers, as well as the data already described above in breast and colorectal. With one of the most comprehensive oncology research and development pipelines in the industry, Roche is striving to deliver even more treatment options in the fight against cancer. For example, Avastin's clinical trial program includes 40,000 patients worldwide.
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