KUALA LUMPUR, 7 March 2019:
We are all too familiar with the staggering statistics of breast cancer. It is the most common cancer among women globally and one woman somewhere in the world is diagnosed with the disease every 15 seconds.
Worldwide, about two million new cases are diagnosed and over 620,000 women die from it each year. In Malaysia, breast cancer affects approximately one in 20 Malaysian women.
There are several types of breast cancer, one of which is Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2-positive) – which is known for its aggressive behaviour.
The over-expression HER2 is associated with poor prognosis which results in shortened time to relapse and shorter overall survival in patients. (HER2 is a protein found in abnormally high quantities on the outside of HER2-positive cancer cells.)
Approximately one in five women diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide will have HER2-positive breast cancer; whilst here in Malaysia, approximately 23%-28% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer are HER2-positive.
With this in mind, Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has launched Perjeta (pertuzumab), approved in Malaysia for use in combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and chemotherapy for the adjuvant treatment (post-surgery) of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.
“HER2-positive early breast cancer (eBC) is an aggressive disease, and additional risk factors, such as lymph node involvement will lead certain patients to experience disease recurrence even earlier,” said consultant clinical oncologist Dr Matin Mellor.
“Despite adjuvant treatment with trastuzumab, approximately 1 in 4 HER2-positive early breast cancer women experience a relapse of their disease in the long-term.”
Consultant breast and breast reconstructive surgeon Dr Ng Char Hong said: “The only setting where HER2-positive breast cancer can potentially be cured is at the early stage.
“There is no cure for breast cancer that recurs and reaches an advanced stage where treatment is solely aimed at prolonging life for as long as possible. Thus, it is clinically meaningful to effectively treat breast cancer patients at the earliest stage.”
Previously, the combination (Perjeta + Herceptin + chemotherapy) was approved for the treatment of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, where it has been shown to significantly extend survival compared to Herceptin and chemotherapy alone.
Now, with the adjuvant approval, it means that eligible patients with HER2-positive eBC in Malaysia could be treated with the Perjeta – Herceptin0cCombination for a total of one year as part of a complete regimen for eBC.
Perjeta targets the HER2 receptor, a protein found on the surface of many normal cells and in high quantities on the surface of cancer cells in HER2-positive cancers.
It is designed specifically to prevent the HER2 receptor from pairing with other HER receptors (EGFR/HER1, HER3 and HER4) on the surface of cells.
“Roche’s treatment goal for early breast cancer is to cure the disease. While treatment outcomes have improved over the years, unfortunately, some patients still have recurrence of breast cancer.
“As such, today’s launch of Perjeta® – Herceptin® Combination as an adjuvant treatment is highly significant. There is another option that can make an even greater contribution to the advancement of breast cancer treatments,” said Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd managing director Lance Duan.
The launch complements Roche’s on-going ‘We are Pink Fighters – Fight with HER. Survive with HER. Move forward with HER’ initiative, which is an effort to promote breast health awareness, guide on selecting the right treatment at the different stage of breast cancer and early detection of breast cancer by educating women on the importance of self-examination.
Perjeta – Herceptin combination has also been included in MY Roche’s Patient Assistance Programme, which is committed to helping eligible patients access the Roche medicines they are prescribed.
Under the programme, the subsidised medications will benefit the patients in supporting their overall treatment cost.
Perjeta – Herceptin combination is now approved in more than 70 countries including the US, Europe, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines.