My Breakthrough
20 JUNE 2007
Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Israel unite to offer hope to women with hereditary breast cancer
The UK’s leading breast cancer research charity has joined forces with the Israeli Cancer Association (ICA) in Israel to tackle a form of hereditary breast cancer. Breakthrough Breast Cancer is providing funding to allow the ICA to co-ordinate Israel’s involvement in a unique clinical trial to determine a more effective treatment for women with a type of hereditary breast cancer more common amongst some of the Jewish population.
The BRCA trial, the world’s first international treatment trial for hereditary breast cancer, was launched in May 2006 and is being funded in the UK by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK. It is designed to improve the outcome of women with faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes whose breast cancer has returned. Women with faults to these genes have up to an 85 per cent chance of developing breast cancer by the age of 70.
The trial compares women’s responses to the platinum based chemotherapy drug, carboplatin, with responses to the current recommended treatment, docetaxel. It aims to discover whether carboplatin is a safe and potentially more effective treatment for breast cancer tumours caused by faulty BRCA genes. This work stemmed from groundbreaking research which took place at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research. Scientists found that platinum based drugs like carboplatin were around 20 times more effective than other chemotherapy drugs in killing cancer cells with faulty BRCA genes.
Dr. Andrew Tutt, Breakthrough Clinician Scientist and oncologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS trust, said; “We are working to recruit as many women to the BRCA trial as possible to discover whether breast cancer tumours caused by faulty BRCA genes will respond better to carboplatin. By extending the trial into Israel we hope as many women as possible will be able to benefit from participation in this first study of genetically tailored therapy."
Within the Jewish population, some women are at a higher risk of having a BRCA fault. Around 1 in 44 Ashkenazi Jews may carry a faulty BRCA gene, compared with around 1 in 100 of non Jewish people. Currently, more than 1 in 10 women developing breast cancer in Israel carry a fault in one of their BRCA genes.
As part of the funding by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, a Clinical Research Associate will be employed to co-ordinate and to assist in recruiting patients to the trial in Israel. The post will be based at the Israeli Cancer Association.
Ms. Miri Ziv, Director General of the ICA, said; ”We are delighted to be overseeing this clinical trial in Israel, especially as more than ten per cent of breast cancer patients in Israel have faults to one of their BRCA genes. This trial has the potential to have a profound influence on how BRCA associated breast cancers are treated in the future.”
Centres across the UK and Australia are also taking part in this trial. Women can learn more about the trial and find out if they are eligible to join by visiting www.brcatrial.org
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Laura Gibson in the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Press Office;
Tel: +44 (0)20 7025 2488
Email: lgibson@breakthrough.org.uk
The BRCA trial, the world’s first international treatment trial for hereditary breast cancer, was launched in May 2006 and is being funded in the UK by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK. It is designed to improve the outcome of women with faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes whose breast cancer has returned. Women with faults to these genes have up to an 85 per cent chance of developing breast cancer by the age of 70.
The trial compares women’s responses to the platinum based chemotherapy drug, carboplatin, with responses to the current recommended treatment, docetaxel. It aims to discover whether carboplatin is a safe and potentially more effective treatment for breast cancer tumours caused by faulty BRCA genes. This work stemmed from groundbreaking research which took place at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research. Scientists found that platinum based drugs like carboplatin were around 20 times more effective than other chemotherapy drugs in killing cancer cells with faulty BRCA genes.
Dr. Andrew Tutt, Breakthrough Clinician Scientist and oncologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS trust, said; “We are working to recruit as many women to the BRCA trial as possible to discover whether breast cancer tumours caused by faulty BRCA genes will respond better to carboplatin. By extending the trial into Israel we hope as many women as possible will be able to benefit from participation in this first study of genetically tailored therapy."
Within the Jewish population, some women are at a higher risk of having a BRCA fault. Around 1 in 44 Ashkenazi Jews may carry a faulty BRCA gene, compared with around 1 in 100 of non Jewish people. Currently, more than 1 in 10 women developing breast cancer in Israel carry a fault in one of their BRCA genes.
As part of the funding by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, a Clinical Research Associate will be employed to co-ordinate and to assist in recruiting patients to the trial in Israel. The post will be based at the Israeli Cancer Association.
Ms. Miri Ziv, Director General of the ICA, said; ”We are delighted to be overseeing this clinical trial in Israel, especially as more than ten per cent of breast cancer patients in Israel have faults to one of their BRCA genes. This trial has the potential to have a profound influence on how BRCA associated breast cancers are treated in the future.”
Centres across the UK and Australia are also taking part in this trial. Women can learn more about the trial and find out if they are eligible to join by visiting www.brcatrial.org
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Laura Gibson in the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Press Office;
Tel: +44 (0)20 7025 2488
Email: lgibson@breakthrough.org.uk
Notes to editors:
- Carboplatin is a platinum based chemotherapy drug used to treat other types of cancer such as lung or ovarian cancer. It is not typically used to treat breast cancer.
- The BRCA trial is being led by Dr. Andrew Tutt and Professor Max Parmar, Head of the Cancer Group at the Medical Research Council’s Clinical Trials Unit.
- Breakthrough Breast Cancer is providing £63,450 over two years to allow the Israeli Cancer Association to co-ordinate Israel’s involvement in the BRCA trial.
- Israeli centres who are interested in participating are;
- Rambam Medical Centre, Haifa
- Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem
- The Chaim Sheba Medical Centre, Tel Hashomer
- Ben Gurion University, Be’er Sheva
- Other countries interested in participating are;
- Canada
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Sweden
- In Australia, the trial is about to open in Melbourne and the country’s first patient to the trial should be entered in the next few weeks.
- Centres across the UK are continuing to recruit women to the trial. Patients who want to participate must:
- Have a known fault in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, and
- Have advanced breast cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the breast and local lymph glands and for which surgery is not suitable)
- Anyone interested in participating can find out more at www.brcatrial.org
Breakthrough Breast Cancer:
- Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK’s leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education. Our essence comes from the thousands of people who are committed to a single vision - to work for a future free from the fear of breast cancer. More information can be found on this website or through the Breakthrough Information Line 08080 100 200.
- Breakthrough Breast Cancer in partnership with The Institute of Cancer Research has established the UK's first dedicated breast cancer research centre - The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre.
- The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre is situated in the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green Building at the Chester Beatty Laboratories at The Institute of Cancer Research. It is the first dedicated breast cancer research facility in the UK and, under the directorship of Professor Alan Ashworth, its 100 scientists and clinicians are working on a programme of cutting edge biological research that ultimately aims to eradicate breast cancer, by discovering the causes of the disease, finding methods of prevention and developing new treatments and more effective diagnosis.
The Institute of Cancer Research:
- The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe’s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. Website at: www.icr.ac.uk
- The Institute works in a unique partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, forming the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. This relationship enables close daily contact with those on the frontline in the fight against cancer - the clinicians, the carers and most importantly, the patients.
Breast Cancer:
- Breast cancer is now the commonest cancer in UK women, accounting for nearly 1 in 3 of all female cancers.
- Nearly 44,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK and 35 women will die every day from this disease.
- Breakthrough has developed a handbag-sized guide – Breast Cancer Risk Factors: The Facts – to help improve our understanding of the known causes of breast cancer. Please call 08080 100 200 for a copy.
