Breast cancer breakthrough may hold hopes for millions

London, Aug 13 : Breast cancer patients have been given a new hope in the war against the deadly disease.

The British researchers have announced a dramatic progress in a technique, which can stop the growth of tumours.

According to the researchers, patients could soon benefit from a unique combination of drug treatments, which has proved highly successful in fighting cancer in trials on mice.

If follow-up tests on humans are successful, it will be a groundbreaking way to stop the growth of breast cancers and prevent them from spreading around the body.

The two treatments are relatively inexpensive and already used to combat cancer.

The research shows that a cheap drug to treat brittle bones can stop tumours in their tracks when used alongside chemotherapy.

Early studies on mice show that the combination treatment can shrink breast tumours almost completely - by up to 99.9 per cent.

This compares to only a 52 per cent reduction in tumours treated with chemotherapy drugs alone.

Penelope Ottewell, who was part of the University of Sheffield research team behind the study, said: "This is extremely exciting."

"Although it is at an early stage, if results in patients are good it could be very important, especially because these drugs would not have to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence," The Daily Express quoted her, as saying.

The current study only involves mice, but a team are now starting trials on patients to see if the drugs have the same effects on human breast cancer. The results should be known later this year.

ANI