Friday, October 15, 2010

Iniparib Extends Overall Survival In Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Final results of a randomized Phase II trial have been announced for the new parp-inhibitor drug Iniparib.  Results are somewhat encouraging.  The trial enrolled triple-negative breast cancer patients with metastatic disease, assigning them to receive iniparib plus chemotherapy (gemcitabine/carboplatin) or chemotherapy alone.

Triple-negative breast cancer is a type of cancer with tumors that aren't receptive to estrogen and progesterone and test negative for the Her 2 oncogene.  Patients with triple-negative breast cancer usually have a poorer prognosis and shorter survival. About 15% of all breast cancer cases are triple negative.

Of the patients who received  Iniparib + chemo, 55.7% experienced complete or partial response over 6 months compared to 33.9% of patients who received chemo alone. 

The results are encouraging, offering the possibility of a new treatment for metastatic triple negative breast cancer patients.  Treatment options for this group of women is currently limited. 

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