Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The disease is often aggressive and diagnosed at a late stage, partly due to limited awareness and lack of access to screening facilities. Experts say early detection and treatment are crucial in improving survival rates.

Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor, a class of drugs that block an enzyme involved in DNA repair. Cancer cells with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations rely on this enzyme to repair DNA damage. By inhibiting PARP, Olaparib prevents cancer cells from repairing DNA damage, ultimately leading to cell death. For those with BRCA mutations, genetic faults that increase the risk of breast, ovarian, and other cancers, the prognosis has historically been grim. These inherited mutations passed down through families, make cancer cells particularly stubborn, resisting standard treatments.

Chemotherapy is a standard treatment for breast cancer, especially in advanced cases. However, it can have severe side effects and may not always be effective. Combining Olaparib with chemotherapy offers a promising approach. The targeted therapy can enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy, allowing for lower doses and reducing side effects, particularly those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations.

All 39 of the patients who received the new combination survived at least three years after surgery. Those results, published in Nature Communications, suggest Olaparib and chemotherapy could become the best treatment option for breast cancers caused by inherited BRCA mutations.

Professor Jean Abraham, who led the trial at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, said: “It’s rare to have a 100% survival rate in a study like this, and for these aggressive types of cancer”. 

A chance conversation between Professor Abraham, who wanted to help more patients benefit from Olaparib, and Mark O’Connor, chief scientist at Astrazeneca, who was researching how it interacts with chemotherapy, revealed the way forward. 

Together, they designed a PARTNER trial, detailed in a recent Cancer Research UK report. This trial could redefine care for women, where breast cancer remains a leading cause of death among women, offering a beacon of light for patients who have long grappled with limited treatment options. The PARTNER trial’s findings are shifting the narrative, bringing a tailored treatment strategy that could save lives.

The trial introduces a combination of Olaparib, a targeted cancer drug, with chemotherapy administered before surgery. Cancer cells have trouble fixing their DNA, which makes them vulnerable. Olaparib, a special medicine, blocks a protein that helps cancer cells repair their DNA. This causes the cancer cells to die. By administering Olaparib for a shorter period before surgery, rather than the standard year-long post-surgery regimen, the treatment could reduce costs for patients and hospitals.

The trial’s success hinges on a clever tweak in treatment scheduling. By leaving a 48-hour gap between chemotherapy and Olaparib doses, doctors found that patients’ bone marrow could recover from chemotherapy’s toxic effects while cancer cells remained vulnerable to Olaparib’s attack. This staggered approach, developed through meticulous research, underscores the importance of precision in cancer care, a nascent concept in many Nigerian hospitals. This is critical in a country where out-of-pocket healthcare expenses push many families into poverty.