AstraZeneca's Olaparib Pill Reduced Risk of Recurrence in Early Stage, Hard-to-Treat Breast Cancers

A new study reveals that one year of using the adjuvant olaparib could significantly extend the invasive and distant disease-free survival (DFS) stage of early-stage, hard-to-treat breast cancers of BRCA mutation.

Healio reported that the study's findings also showed acceptable toxicity and may change the standard of care for breast cancer patients.

Andrew Tutt, MB ChB, Ph.D., FMedSci, said that the findings suggest olaparib, a generic name for AstraZeneca's Lynparza, for one year after standard treatment for breast cancer provides significant benefits to germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, which have high recurrence risk, ad on early HER2-negative breast cancer.

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AstraZeneca's Olaparib Pill Reduced Risk of Recurrence in Early Stage, Hard-to-Treat Breast Cancers

Adjuvant Olaparib Helps Breast Cancer Patients Live Longer

The study, "Adjuvant Olaparib for Patients with BRCA1- or BRCA2-Mutated Breast Cancer" by the American Society of Clinical Oncology published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that olaparib could help breast cancer patients with BRCA mutation live longer without the disease after treatment with standard surgery and chemotherapy.

US News reported that most patients in the study, or about 82% had tumors that are hard to treat because of the "triple-negative," which is not fueled by either estrogen or progesterone or by the gene Herceptin.

The study tested olaparib in 1,836 women and men who have early-stage breast cancer. They were either given the olaparib pill or a placebo a year after the standard treatment, like surgery and chemotherapy.

Olaparib is a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that attacks DNA repair defects in cancers with BRCA mutations. In 2018, the FDA approved the use of olaparib for BRCA-mutated HER2-negative breast cancer that has metastasized, according to Healio.

Researchers found a significant benefit from olaparib, wherein 86% of the patients who took the pill for three years were still alive and without cancer recurring compared to 77% of those in the placebo group.

Moreover, ASCO president and cancer radiation specialist at the University of Michigan Dr. Lori Pierce said that the results suggest more patients should get their tumors tested for BRCA mutation to help guide their treatment decisions.

ALSO READ: Breast Cancer Patients Treated at Early Stage Twice Likely to Die From An Aggressive Form 20 Years Later: Study

Black Women at Higher Risk of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

PBS reported that black women are less likely to develop breast cancer. However, the CDC says that they are 40% more likely to die from the disease compared to white women.

"We, as African American women, get a different type of breast cancer. It's known as triple-negative breast cancer," Regina Hampton, a surgeon, and co-founder of Breast Care for Washington, said in an interview with the news outlet.

Breast cancer patients caused by hormones can get hormonal treatment for five years, but those breast cancer patients with triple-negative undergo surgery with chemotherapy, Hampton added.

Dr. Ying Liu, an assistant professor in Washington University School of Medicine's department of surgery and division of public health sciences, told Healio that improving treatment adherence and efficacy in Black women with triple-negative breast cancer is the key to reduce triple-negative breast cancer outcome disparities.