On the pulse

In the News…..

Women who took the chemo drug Taxotere say they were not warned of potential permanent hair loss.
Commonly used breast cancer drug, Taxotere, has helped reduce breast cancer mortality rates in recent years. However, as breast cancer sufferers live longer, it has become apparent that one of the drug’s side effects is permanent hair loss.

According to the manufacturer’s own studies, the side effect of persistent alopecia is suffered by about 3 per cent of patients who take Taxotere with other chemotherapy drugs. However it has left those who have been affected feeling that despite having physically recovered from cancer, visually they still look very ill. Dr. Bourgeois, of Le Mans, France recognises the detrimental affect this has on a survivor’s confidence, outlook and “quality of life”.

Women across the globe who have suffered such side effects have now formed a support and lobbying group called the Taxotears. They include one Taxoterrorist who posted pictures of her balding head on the Facebook page of the pharmaceutical company. For those who have been affected it is paramount that other women are not only made aware of the dangers of Taxotere but are also encouraged to understand that they have a choice about whether to take such a risk or not.

Indeed Dr. Bourgeois echoes such a sentiment, giving his patients a choice of 12 cycles of Taxol, with a very tiny risk of permanent hair loss, or four cycles of Taxotere, where the risk of hair loss is higher. Most choose Taxol, which he says works just as well on breast cancer. As a generic drug, it also happens to cost less. Later this year, a Dr. Lemieux is planning to conduct a study to determine whether cooling the scalp while receiving chemotherapy – so that less of the drug reaches hair follicles – can help prevent baldness without compromising outcome. Read the full article (including patients’ personal experiences) at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/women-who-took-chemo-drug-say-they-werent-warned-of-permanent-hair-loss/article1490406/


NHS launches £8m campaign to increase early cancer diagnosis
Each year 10,000 deaths are caused by late diagnosis. Following last week’s report on the UK's low survival rates in comparison to its European counterparts, The Department of Health is providing £8million for primary care trusts (PCTs) across England to fund profile raising campaigns about the UK's three biggest cancer killers: breast, bowel and lung cancer.

PCTs will be able to bid for up to £100,000 to spend on advertising campaigns and outreach work, raising awareness of the main symptoms associated with the big three. It is hoped that such work will reduce the 63,400 people who die from breast, bowel and lung cancer each year, whilst also encouraging GPs to commit to earlier referrals. For example, 90% of bowel cancers can be cured if treated early but only 13% are detected at the earliest stage.

PCTs in Doncaster and Derby have already seen results from previous advertising campaigns. Derby is using posters of Bobby Moore, England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain, who died of bowel cancer at the age of 51, at bus stops, sports clubs and working men's clubs, as well as on leaflets and postcards to encourage older men to get checked . Read the full article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/08/nhs-early-cancer-diagnosis


Osteoporosis drug may cut breast cancer risk
A study conducted by Dr Polly Newcomb and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin USA and supported by the National Cancer Institute of the USA has suggested that women who take bisphosphonates, an osteoporosis drug, designed to treat brittle bones may reduce their risk of breast cancer.

The research compared almost 3,000 women, between 20 and 69 years old, who were diagnosed with breast cancer to a similar number of women who did not have a history of breast cancer. The researchers looked for characteristics in the two groups that might explain an increased cancer risk, including whether they had taken bisphosphonates. The women who had used the drugs for the longest time (two years) were found to be 40% less likely to develop breast cancer than women who had never used the pills.

These results will need to be confirmed with randomised trials that assess whether the drug really can prevent breast cancer. Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK. welcomed the results, but said: "Before a drug can be recommended, thorough testing needs to be completed." This study has several strengths and weaknesses which the article discusses in greater depth. See http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/03March/Pages/brittle-bone-drug-breast-cancer-test.aspx

Radiotherapy delays linked to small increased risk of breast cancer recurrence
An international team of scientist have suggested that the longer older women wait for radiation treatment after undergoing surgery for breast cancer, the greater the chances of the disease coming back. Records for 18,050 US women, aged 65 or over and diagnosed between 1991 and 2002, were analysed looking at the correlation between the interval from breast cancer surgery to radiotherapy and the rate of disease recurrence. The results found that women who started radiotherapy more than 6 weeks after surgery were found to face a small but significant increase in risk of local recurrence of breast cancer.

The British Medical Journal said: "There is a continuous relationship between the interval from breast-conserving surgery to radiotherapy and local recurrence in older women with breast cancer, suggesting that starting radiotherapy as soon as possible could minimise the risk of local recurrence."

Dr Jodie Moffat, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Radiotherapy plays a hugely significant role in the treatment of cancer. Although we have seen improvements in the amount of time people across the UK are waiting for their radiotherapy in recent years, we know that there are still some people who are waiting too long. Cancer Research UK is calling on the governments across the UK to improve access to radiotherapy services…we want to see strategies and resources in place to ensure that people receive radiotherapy when they need it and to reduce the unacceptable variations in radiotherapy provision across the country."
Read the full article at: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/cancernews/2010-03-03-Radiotherapy-delays-linked-to-small-increased-risk-of-breast-cancer-recurrence


Lauren Newton
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk 5th March 2010