JEDDAH, 18 April 2007 — Some women who suffer from breast cancer can be luckier than others if their cancer cells contain the gene HER 2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor2). These women can undergo treatment for breast cancer with an immune therapeutic antibody called Herceptin, which is used to treat the HER 2 gene without the patient needing chemotherapy.
“Twenty five to 30 percent of breast cancer cells hold a high percentage of that gene. Those patients are the ones who can benefit from Herceptin, which is a type of immune therapy,” said Dr. Mahmoud Shaheen Al-Ahwal, professor of medical oncology and vice dean of Medical Affairs at the Faculty of Medicine at the King Abdul Aziz University.
The treatment is only possible for breast cancer patients, whose cancer cells contain HER 2. Such people are saved from the side effects that come from chemotherapy. Al-Ahwal said 92 percent of patients treated through Herceptin are cured.
Breast cancer patients are required to undergo tests to ascertain whether they have a high percentage of HER 2.
“Herceptin is an immune-targeted therapy for the over-expressed HER 2 genes. If that gene is over-expressed in cancer cells, then patients will benefit from Herceptin treatment,” he said.
Al-Ahwal added that breast cancer is more common among women who experience menstruation before the age of 12 and have menopause after the age of 50 or 55.
This is because, as long as a woman gets her monthly menstruation, the secretion of the estrogen hormone is higher causing a greater risk of cancer. He also warned that women who take contraceptive pills for long periods of time are also at risk of cancer.
“Giving birth to the first baby before the age of 30 prevents the occurrence of this disease. Women, who do not get married, are more susceptible to the disease. Having a baby before the age of 30 could provide a woman with immunity from breast cancer,” he added.
Dr. Al-Ahwal said that women over the age of 40 should undergo a mammogram checkup at least once a year. Women must test themselves every month to check if there are new tumors, a change in the breast’s color and size and if there is blood secretion from the nipples, especially if there is a family history of breast cancer. She should also know if there are any underarm pains, and weight and appetite loss.
He does not recommend extraction of benign tumors in breasts. “Eighty percent of tumors in the breast are benign and do not need to be extracted. Some fibroadinosis increase the possibility of having the disease one and a half times more.
“Breast cancer now is a disease that can be cured if it is discovered early. Patients should then consult specialist doctors and not people who treat with herbs since those treatments are not scientifically authorized and can cause negative results,” he added.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Saudi Arabia forming 20 percent of women cancer patients.
Men make up one percent of cancer patients in the Kingdom.
Al-Ahwal further stressed the importance of awareness campaigns at high schools and universities.