april, 2019 | The Health
Current News
Tackling
breast cancer at
an early stage
The latest from Roche helps to improve survival rate of early
stage HER2 breast cancer patients
B
reast cancer. The term alone strikes fear
into the hearts of anyone who hears it.
Every 15 seconds, one woman is diagnosed
with breast cancer somewhere in the world.
In Malaysia, breast cancer is the leading
cancer that affects women, with approxi-
mately 1 in 20 Malaysian women developing breast
cancer in their lifetime.
Dr Matin Mellor, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
during the official launch of Roche Malaysia’s new
combination medication mentions that the Human
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2-positive)
is known as one of the aggressive types of breast cancer.
Dr Ng Char Hong, Consultant Breast and Breast
Reconstructive Surgeon, who was also present at the
launch event states, “The only setting where HER2-
positive breast cancer can potentially be cured is at
the early stages. There is no cure for breast cancer that
recurs and reaches an advanced stage, where treatment
is solely aimed at prolonging life for as long as possible.
Thus, it is clinically meaningful to effectively treat
breast cancer patients at the earliest stage.”
Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has launched PERJETA
(pertuzumab), approved in Malaysia for use in
combination with HERCEPTIN (trastuzumab) and che-
motherapy for the ancillary treatment (post-surgery)
of patients with HER2- positive early breast cancer at
Dr Matin Mellor shares
that the PERJETA
-HERCEPTIN
Combination provides
a clinically meaningful
reduction in the risk
of the breast cancer
returning or death, for
patients at high risk of
recurrence.
Dr Ng Char Hong
believes that the
only setting where
HER2 positive
breast cancer
can potentially
be cured is at the
early stage.
Lance Duan says
that Roche remains
committed in
finding new ways
to tackle the
disease with the
goal of improving
patient outcomes
and bringing them
closer to cure.
high risk of recurrence.
Treatment at an early stage
Previously, the combination (PERJETA + HERCEPTIN
+ Chemotherapy) was approved for the treatment of
metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, where it has been
shown to significantly extend survival period compared
to HERCEPTIN and chemotherapy alone.
Now, with the adjuvant approval, it means that eligible
patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer in Malay-
sia could be treated with the PERJETA - HERCEPTIN
Combination for a total of one year as part of a complete
regimen for early breast cancer.
PERJETA targets the HER2 receptor, a protein found
on the surface of many normal cells and in high quantities
on the surface of cancer cells in HER2-positive cancers.
It is designed specifically to prevent the HER2 receptor
from pairing with other HER receptors (EGFR/HER1,
HER3 and HER4) on the surface of cells.
The mechanisms of action of PERJETA and HER-
CEPTIN are believed to complement each other. Both
bind to the HER2 receptor but to different places. The
combination is thought to prevent tumour cell growth.
Tested and trialled
A Phase 3 clinical trial (APHINITY) involving over
4,800 people with HER2-positive early breast cancer
Targeted cancer
therapy personalised
to your genes and
mutations
P
05
was conducted. In summary, APHINITY showed that
adding PERJETA to HERCEPTIN and chemotherapy
after surgery reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer
recurrence or death (invasive disease-free survival; iDFS)
compared to HERCEPTIN and chemotherapy alone in the
overall study population.
The greatest benefit in the trial was observed in patients
with lymph node-positive or hormone receptor-negative
breast cancer is that, for patients with lymph node-pos-
itive disease, the PERJETA - HERCEPTIN Combination
reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 23%. Moreover,
among patients with hormone receptor-negative disease,
the PERJETA - HERCEPTIN Combination reduced the risk
of recurrence or death by 24%.
Good outlook on treatment
“Roche’s treatment goal for early breast cancer is to cure
the disease. While treatment outcomes have improved
over the years, unfortunately, some patients still experi-
ence recurrence. As such, today’s launch of PERJETA
– HERCEPTIN Combination as an adjuvant treatment
is highly significant. There is another option that can
make an even greater contribution to the advancement of
breast cancer treatments,” shares Lance Duan, Managing
Director, Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
The launch compliments Roche’s on-going initiative,
‘We are Pink Fighters – Fight with HER. Survive with
HER. Move forward with HER’, which is an effort to
promote breast health awareness, guide on selecting the
right treatment at the different stage of breast cancer and
early detection of breast cancer by educating women on
the importance of self-examination.
PERJETA – HERCEPTIN Combination has also been
included in MY Roche’s Patient Assistance Program
which is committed to helping eligible patients access the
Roche medicines they are prescribed. Under the program,
the subsidised medications will benefit the patients in
supporting their overall treatment cost. For further infor-
mation on PERJETA - HERCEPTIN Combination and MY
Roche’s Patient Assistance Program, please contact your
oncologist, or treating physician.
PERJETA – HERCEPTIN Combination is now
approved in more than 70 countries for adjuvant therapy
for HER2-positive early breast cancer, including in the
United States, Europe, Japan, Canada and a few ASEAN
countries like Singapore, Thailand and Philippines. — The
health
ub l ic - l ist e d h e a l t h c a r e
company, Malaysian Genomics
Resource Centre Berhad (MGRC),
and its subsidiary, pathology services
company Clinipath (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
(Clinipath) announced the availability
of affordable, fast-turnaround, liquid
biopsy tests developed by CIRCULO-
GENE Diagnostics LLC for doctors in
Malaysia.
Liquid biopsies offer a non-invasive,
quick, cheaper and safer, complement
to surgical biopsies. They can provide
real-time and actionable information
about a tumour including which treat-
ments, especially targeted therapies,
are available for a particular patient.
CIRCULOGENE’s CLIA/CAP-certified
liquid biopsy tests examine cell-free
nucleic acids to provide full genomic
load analysis of somatic and germline
mutations, DNA and RNA, and immu-
notherapy biomarkers all from a single
standard tube of blood. This testing
enables accurate and real-time data to
help doctors and their patients choose
the best available targeted therapies and
available clinical trials, monitor efficacy
and monitor for recurrence.
Conventional tissue biopsies (usually
from the primary tumour) are used
to determine molecular profiles at a
single time point on a single site before
targeted therapy commences. CIRCU-
LOGENE’s liquid biopsy test offers what
tissue biopsies cannot, the opportunity
to take serial samples for longitudinal
monitoring of tumour clonal evolu-
tion in circulation. “CIRCULOGENE’s
liquid biopsy allows doctors to ensure
personalised targeted treatment efficacy,
monitor drug resistance, metastasis and
recurrence, tailoring patients to the right
treatment for the right target without
delay,” said Dr Chen-Hsiung Yeh, Co-
founder and Chief Scientific Officer of
CIRCULOGENE. He added, “tumour
genome sequencing on circulating
cfDNA to guide treatment decisions
could be the standard-of-care for new-
generation cancer management in the
era of precision medicine.”
MGRC and Clinipath continue to
work together to make comprehensive
pathology services, and the latest in
genetic testing available to doctors with
a view to improving the lives of patients
in Malaysia and the region. — The health