Usage of GlaxoSmithKline's Tykerb leads to tumor regression

GlaxoSmithKline Plc. claimed that its drug Tykerb reduces the number of stem cells that can cause breast cancer to recur.

Photo: Usage of GlaxoSmithKline's Tykerb leads to tumor regression

Tykerb was developed as a treatment for solid tumours such as breast and lung cancer. It was approved by the FDA on March 13, 2007, for use in patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer in conjunction with the chemotherapy drug capecitabine (Xeloda TM).

Tykerb successfully underwent a trial involving 45 patients revealing significant tumor regression after just six weeks of use. The number of cancer-causing stem cells swooped down from 10.6 percent to 4.7 percent.

The study once more proved that it’s more effective to target stem cells and “go by” unpleasant side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy treatment.

The results of the study were revealed at the sixth European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin.

Photo: medicineworld.org