This low-cost drug may be very effective in breast cancer, a major revelation in a TMC study.

News Topical, Digital Desk : The drug carboplatin may be highly effective in treating breast cancer. Trials have shown encouraging results. A new study conducted by the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) states that adding the low-cost chemotherapy drug carboplatin to treatment significantly improves the chances of cure and survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), especially women under the age of 50. TNBC is a serious form of breast cancer.

This randomised phase I trial involved 720 women with stage II TNBC at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in Mumbai between 2010 and 2020. Dr Sudeep Gupta, director of TMC, Mumbai, and lead author of the study, said on Friday that all patients received standard chemotherapy (paclitaxel once per week for eight weeks, followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide every 21 days for four doses) to shrink their tumours before surgery.

Patients were also given carboplatin injections.

During the study, patients in the platinum group received standard chemotherapy, plus once-weekly carboplatin injections for eight weeks. Dr. Gupta said, "Carboplatin is an inexpensive chemotherapy drug often used for other cancers." Following chemotherapy, all patients underwent routine surgery and radiation therapy and were then monitored over time.

There were no side effects

They said that adding carboplatin to the treatment regimen did not cause any major additional side effects. The study also found that the drug had a significant effect on patients under 50 years of age, but did not provide any significant benefit to older patients.

He said, although young patients across the world will benefit equally from this treatment, it is particularly important for India and other countries where there are a large number of young patients.

How many cases of cancer occur in India every year?

Approximately 180,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed in India each year. Of these, one-third (55,000 to 60,000) are TNBC, which has a very poor survival rate. Approximately 70 percent of these TNBC cases occur in women under 50 years of age.

Dr. Rajendra A. Badwe, former Director of TMC and Honorary Professor Emeritus of Tata Memorial Hospital, said, “Thanks to this study, we have evidence that accessible, low-cost medicine can improve their treatment and chances of survival.”

Read More: Accident on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Ambulance falls off culvert in Mandsaur; 2 killed