http://www.pressreleases.be/script_U...ays=w&ID=31945PR Newswire: 90% of Cancer Patients Completely Unaware of New Breakthrough Cancer Therapy Which Medical Experts Believe Could Reduce Cancer to a Chronic Disease ZURICH, March 27 /PRNewswire/ --
- Knowledge Gap of Concern to Both Physicians and Patient Groups
Nine out of ten patients battling cancer in Europe have never heard of a major
breakthrough in cancer treatment, known as anti-angiogenesis, according to a
new survey released today. Yet, 70% of cancer specialists who took part in the
survey believe that patients and their carers should know more about
anti-angiogenic treatment as it marks the dawn of a new era in cancer
treatment. In fact, half of the cancer specialists surveyed even believed that
the use of anti-angiogenic therapy could lead to cancer becoming a treatable
illness people can live with, not the death sentence it so often is.
Anti-angiogenic therapy is a novel new therapy that works by starving the
tumour of its blood supply to stop its growth. The first anti-angiogenic
therapy, Avastin(R) (bevacizumab), was launched a year ago for the treatment of
advanced colorectal cancer, and is the only anti-angiogenic agent that has
consistently demonstrated survival benefit in the three most common tumour
types: colorectal cancer, breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Professor Nick Thatcher, Professor of Oncology, University of Manchester,
Christie Hospital, UK, said: "We are entering a new era in the treatment of
cancer with the advent of innovative new cancer therapies and it's important
that patients and their medical advisors understand the potential of these new
treatments to extend life."
The survey was conducted amongst 500 cancer specialists and patients in the UK,
France, Spain, Italy and Germany. It revealed that patient awareness of new
cancer treatments is low: 40 percent admitted to feeling completely uninformed
about advances in technology which might help them overcome their disease. This
knowledge gap is concerning to both patient groups and physicians, who feel it
is important that cancer patients are up-to-date on the latest technologies
that may help them in their fight against the disease.
Dr Jesme Baird, director of patient care at The Roy Castle Lung Foundation,
part of the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, commented: "Statistics like these
expose a major information gap between cancer patients and physicians regarding
new advances in treatment, yet we know that people fighting cancer go through
so much emotionally that they need to be able to believe in the future. The
dialogue between patient and physician is critical in order to make an informed
decision".
Access: Call for better care
The survey also showed that a majority of cancer specialists believe that
access to new cancer therapies should be widened, particularly in light of
physician and patient dissatisfaction with traditional chemotherapy agents.
"It is essential that we work with health authorities and regulators to ensure
better access to these innovative new treatments," says Dr. Jesme Baird.
"Cancer patients depend so much upon the development of new technology to offer
hope of a better future, and we want them to live long enough to enjoy it. That
means that new treatments must be made available to those who need it."
A recent report published by the Karolinska Institutet, in conjunction with the
Stockholm School of Economics, exposed stark inequalities in patient access to
cancer treatment across Europe. This research, titled "A pan-European
comparison regarding patient access to cancer drugs", found that despite the
proven benefits of new innovative treatments options, the speed at which
patients can benefit from them depends to a great extent upon the country in
which they live. The attitudinal findings in this survey support the Karolinska
report results, further highlighting the physician and patient call to action
to amend access guidelines.
Notes to Editors:
Survey highlights
- The survey questioned 500 cancer specialists and patients across the UK,
France, Spain, Italy and Germany and was sponsored by Roche,
- Information about treatment
- Two out of five cancer patients were not even sure what treatment they were
currently receiving;
- A third of patients said they would not actively seek additional treatment
information following diagnosis.
- Expectations from treatment in general and anti-angiogenic therapy
specifically
- 70 percent of physicians are dissatisfied with traditional chemotherapy drugs;
- A majority of patients surveyed wished that their current treatment regimen
helped them live longer without compromising their quality of life to as great
a degree;
- Only 11 percent of patients felt confident that their treatment would enable
them to overcome their disease when they were first diagnosed; yet 100 percent
of patients with advanced cancer being treated with anti-angiogenic therapy are
optimistic about its potential benefits;
- 60 percent of patients expected advances in treatment to transform cancer
from an acute to a chronic condition within the next three to five years;
- A large proportion of physicians surveyed believed that the widespread use of
anti-angiogenesis therapy would result in cancer becoming a chronic condition -
with which the patient could live;
- A vast majority of physician respondents - 82 percent - firmly believed
anti-angiogenic therapy could be effective in the adjuvant setting, in other
words after surgery to enhance the benefits of chemotherapy. However, realising
this expectation was likely to depend upon patient access to new therapies.
About Avastin
Avastin is the first treatment that inhibits angiogenesis - the growth of a
network of blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to cancerous tissues.
Avastin targets a naturally occurring protein called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial
Growth Factor), a key mediator of angiogenesis, thus choking off the blood
supply that is essential for the growth of the tumour and its spread throughout
the body (metastasis).
In Europe, Avastin is approved for first-line treatment of patients with
metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum in combination with the
chemotherapy regimens of intravenous 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid or intravenous
5-fluorouracil/folinic acid/irinotecan. Avastin received fast-track approval by
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was launched in the US in
February 2004.
In the pivotal Phase III study, the addition of Avastin to chemotherapy
(irinotecan/5-fluorouracil/leucovorin) significantly extended survival by, on
average, five months (20.3 months versus 15.6 months) for people with
previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer. Avastin also significantly
increased the amount of time the cancer was not growing compared with patients
receiving chemotherapy alone (10.6 months vs. 6.2 months). In a second Phase
III study, conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Avastin
was also shown to significantly improve survival when added to another widely
prescribed chemotherapy regimen (oxaliplatin/5-fluorouracil/leucovorin). With
Avastin, people who had previously failed one chemotherapy regimen for their
advanced disease, lived nearly two months longer, on average, compared to those
who received chemotherapy alone (12.5 months vs. 10.7 months).
People with very advanced colorectal cancer who are too ill to tolerate
traditional aggressive chemotherapy also benefit from Avastin. The addition of
Avastin to a less aggressive form of chemotherapy increased the length of time
the cancer was not growing, by four months, compared to chemotherapy alone (a
67 percent increase in progression-free survival).
Roche and Genentech are pursuing a comprehensive clinical programme
investigating the use of Avastin in advanced colorectal cancer with other
chemotherapies and also expanding into the adjuvant setting (post operation).
As its mechanism is highly relevant in a number of malignant tumours, Roche and
Genentech are also investigating the potential clinical benefit of Avastin in
breast, lung, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cell carcinoma and
others. Approximately 15,000 patients are expected to be enrolled into clinical
trials over the next years worldwide.
ZURICH, March 27 /PRNewswire/ --
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading
research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and
diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early
detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group
contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality
of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of
medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In
2005 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 27.3 billion Swiss francs,
and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.2 billion Swiss francs. Roche
employs roughly 70,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and
strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership
interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group
is available on the Internet (
www.roche.com).
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are legally protected.
For further information please contact: Christine Hill at Roche, Tel:
+41(0)61-688-89-95, Mobile: +41(0)79-788-82-45, Ann Blumenstock at Resolute
Communications: Telephone: +44(0)20-7397-7484, Mobile: +44(0)7788-543537
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