London: In what could be called a major
breakthrough, scientists have claimed that a new pill, which
targets inherited cancers without the nasty side effects of
chemotherapy, has shown promising results in clinical trials.
According to the scientists, thousands of lives could
be saved by the drug, known as olaparib, which offers hope of
effective personalised treatment for patients suffering from
gene defect cancer.
It not only shrank tumours but also stopped them
growing for six months. High doses reduced more than 40 per
cent of the tumours of women with advanced breast cancer, who
had already had chemotherapy, the `Daily Express` reported.
Patients with advanced ovarian cancer, who also had
400mg of olaparib, had 33 per cent of their tumours shrunk.
Olaparib is one of a new class of drugs -- PARP inhibitors.
Lead researcher Dr Andrew Tutt of King`s College
London said: "This shows great promise but further trials are
needed."
PTI
