The genetic background, biological characteristics and clinical diagnosis and treatment of Chinese breast cancer patients are different from those of foreign patients. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
China News Service, Shanghai, February 25 (Reporter Chen Jing) Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that seriously threatens the health of women all over the world. HR+ breast cancer accounts for about 60% to 80% of all breast cancer cases. Endocrine therapy is an important treatment strategy for HR+ advanced breast cancer, but up to 50% of patients will develop drug resistance, which will lead to tumor recurrence or progression. The 5-year survival rate of HR+/HER2- breast cancer patients in China still lags behind foreign countries, and the proportion of advanced breast cancer patients is high.
The reporter learned on the 25th that Erlikang®, a CDK4/6 inhibitor independently developed by Chinese pharmaceutical companies, was prescribed by doctors in Beijing, Shanghai and other places on the first day. This means that this CDK4/6 inhibitor, which is more evidence-based in the Chinese population, will benefit HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer patients and is expected to rewrite the treatment landscape of the disease.
It is understood that the genetic background, biological characteristics and clinical diagnosis and treatment of Chinese breast cancer patients are different from those of foreign patients: the average age of advanced breast cancer patients in China is earlier than that of foreign patients. More, relatively more difficult to treat; the proportion of Chinese advanced patients using chemotherapy is higher, resulting in Chinese patients’ basic condition and liver and kidney function may be worse; Chinese patients have a higher incidence of hematological toxicity than non-Asian populations, etc. . Therefore, seeking a treatment plan that is closer to the current status of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients in China has always been a problem that Chinese clinicians pay close attention to and urgently need to solve.
On December 31, 2021, Ierlikon® was officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for marketing in China. Hengrui Medicine said in an interview on the 25th that the approved Chinese original research drug has innovated in the molecular structure of the drug, and it is an oral tablet, which is convenient for medication.
The drug was approved for marketing based on a multi-center, randomized, controlled, double-blind phase III clinical study. The main researcher, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor Xu Binghe of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, told reporters that 100% of the Chinese population was enrolled in the study, and the study truly presented the treatment data of Chinese breast cancer patients. Among the enrolled population, 27% have received chemotherapy in the past, and 44% are premenopausal or perimenopausal, which is closer to the current clinical diagnosis and treatment situation in China. “Xu Binghe’s team prescribed the drug on the first day in the country.
The study data showed that the median disease progression-free period of patients receiving Erlikang® combined therapy was 15.7 months, which was significantly higher than that of the control group. At the same time, the patient’s risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 58%. “As a doctor, it is gratifying to see that Chinese patients have a treatment plan that better suits their needs. The treatment of breast cancer is an extremely severe test for both the patient and his family. Some patients are unable to obtain standardized treatment or even give up treatment due to financial burden and other reasons, resulting in lifelong regret. It is believed that with the launch of Erlikon®, more HR+/HER2- breast cancer patients can benefit from standardized treatment. “Professor Xu Binghe said. (End)