New drug 'may stop breast and ovarian cancer'
Trials of a new drug which may halt the progression of breast and ovarian cancer have been encouraging so far, according to scientists.
Experts at the Institute of Cancer Research have given Olaparib to 19 different patients with inherited forms of the disease who had not responded to other forms of treatment.
In 12 of the sufferers, tumours shrank or stabilised, which may be of interest to breast cancer insurance customers.
Dr Johann de Bono, who led the research, says bigger trials are now needed to establish the effectiveness of Olaparib on a wide scale.
"It's giving patients who have already tried many conventional treatments long periods of remission, free from the symptoms of cancer or major side-effects," he explains.
In related news, specialists at the Mayo Clinic in the US have discovered that the immunotherapeutic agent ipilimumab may be able to reduce the size of tumours previously deemed inoperable, which may interest those with cancer cover.
By Stephen Tate 
Adfero Ltd provides live and tailored breaking industry news for Chartis Direct. All industry news is prepared by Adfero Ltd and as such does not represent the views or opinions of Chartis Direct a trading name of UNAT Direct Insurance Management Limited.
© Adfero Ltd 2008
