Drug Combo May Improve Breast Cancer Treatment

Three drugs that were developed to fight a certain type of breast cancer on their own may work even better when combined, according to a report presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Friday. The drugs interfere with the growth of cancers that test positive for HER-2, a cancer marker. In one study, more than half of the women who took a two-drug combination — along with standard chemotherapy — went into remission before they had breast surgery. This allowed the surgeon to remove only a small area of tissue (lumpectomy) rather that the whole breast (mastectomy).