The Food and Drug Administration finally released the first treatment for patients who have breast cancer caused by BRCA mutations. BRCA mutations are genetic defects that raise the risk of malignancies.The agency said its approval was based on a random clinical trial, that was done with 300 breast cancer patients with BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutations. After the trial was over, results showed that the length of time where the tumors did not grow, was a median of 7 months for patients treated with Lynparza compared to 4.2 months for patients receiving chemotherapy. According to the agency, Lynparaza however did not improve the length of survival.
The FDA also approved Myriad Genetics diagnostic test, called BRACAnalysis CDx, as a companion to Lynparza. The Myriad Genetics diagnostic test was previously cleared for ovarian cancer patients, and identifies which breast cancer patients have BRCA mutations. About 5 percent to 10 percent of patients with breast cancer have a BRCA mutation. According to another website called, Rethink The Link, BRCA gene mutations increase the risk of cancer tremendously, and most common type being breast cancer. The BRCA gene also cannot be easily identified based on patient tumor characteristics. After reading more about BRCA 1, BRCA 2 and how it affects those with breast cancer, I'm hoping one day there will finally be a cure for cancer. The amount of friends and families affected has increased greatly. Especially knowing someone so close to you going through such a horrible disease is a hard thing to watch. Many people in my family have passed away from cancer, and I hope doctors can come together to help save the ones we love who are suffering.
I hope that in my life time there will be better ways to detect cancer and also that hopefully there will be a cure. Like you, my family has been affected by cancer and there is the possibly that I will have cancer in my life time.
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