Researchers are hailing a "pivotal milestone" in the treatment of
deadly types of Stomach and Breast Cancer that they hope will offer an
alternative to a main treatment involving the removal of a patient's
entire stomach.
University of Otago researchers established a genetic connection in
early stage diffused stomach cancer and lobular breast cancer, and have
spent nearly 20 years hunting for better ways to fight the disease. "What we're trying to do and we think we've finally broken the back
of the problem is identify this class of drugs that can be used to
prevent the cancer developing in the first place," Professor Parry
Guilford said.
The genetic mutation is hereditary, with around 20 families in New Zealand known to have the mutated gene.
Worldwide there's around 400 cases, with that number on the rise as more are discovered.
The drug development has the potential to treat hundreds of thousands of
more common forms of cancer, meaning it could be up to 10 years before a
new treatment is released.
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