Fog Blog Breast Cancer Update Log:

HERE IS THE 2ND IN THIS SERIES........About one in 10 breast cancers are HER2-positive (HER2+). This is a genetic form of the disease that's particularly aggressive and can spread to other parts of the body. Current treatments for this type of breast cancer only deactivate cancer cells, but these can reactivate at any time. In some invasive forms of breast cancer, excessive levels of HER2 leads to uncontrolled growth of cells, making it far more difficult to treat.In July 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Nerlynx (neratinib). This is the first drug designed to prevent return of HER2+ breast cancer. It works by blocking enzymes that fuel cancer-cell growth. In clinical trials, Nerlynx was evaluated on more than 2,800 women with early-stage HER2+ breast cancer who had completed treatment with the chemotherapy drug trastuzumab. After 2 years, 94.2% of users did not experience recurrence compared to 91.9% treated with an inactive placebo.