This combination was discovered from a local research study which involved 43 patients with metastatic breast cancer or with Stage Four hormone receptor breast cancer that had not responded to prior therapies over two years.
Using the Letrozole-Lenvatinib combo over six months, one in two patients saw their tumour shrink or had better control of their condition. What’s more, patients in the study were able to continue their usual activities and maintain good quality of life while on the treatment.
The research’s lead investigator, Professor Lee Soo Chin, Head and Senior Consultant of the Department of Haematology-Oncology at the National Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCIS) and Senior Principal Investigator at Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore), said the findings show evidence that the therapy is effective in the treatment of breast cancer, even in patients whose disease is no longer well-controlled by conventional hormone therapy options.
Co-investigator Dr Joline Lim, who is a consultant at the same department in NCIS and a joint fellow at CSI Singapore, added that a late phase trial is underway to compare the current standard treatment against the Letrozole-Lenvatinib combination.
Prof Lee said: “Further clinical trial findings will provide insights, identify the most appropriate patients to be treated, and expand the pool of patients who may benefit from the treatment.”
SHRINKING BREAST TUMOURS THROUGH PULSED MAGNETIC THERAPY
Another treatment involves employing the use of non-invasive pulsed magnetic therapy. A team at NUS, led by Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregon, developed the OncoFTX System – used together with chemotherapy, it shrinks tumours in a painless manner.