A new treatment approach can significantly improve survival rates for patients with aggressive, inherited breast cancer, a study suggests.The trial, led by Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, and published in Nature Communications, involved women with early-stage breast cancer who have inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations.Giving them the targeted drug olaparib before surgery greatly reduced the chances of the cancer coming back. More than 1,200 patients a year in the UK could benefit from the change in practice if a larger clinical trial can confirm the findings.Jackie Van Bochoven, 59, from Cambridgeshire, has a family history of breast cancer and carries a faulty copy of the BRCA1 gene, which significantly raises her risk of the disease during her lifetime.She was diagnosed with an aggressive breast tumour in 2019 and took part in the trial.”When I had the diagnosis I was completely shocked,” she told BBC News. “Six years on, I’m well and cancer free. It’s amazing.”Jackie’s mother and sister both had breast cancer. She has three daughters and the eldest, Danielle, also carries the inherited BRCA gene mutation.”For my future generations, if they have got the BRCA gene, it is a new hope,” Jackie said.Around one in 400 people carry mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.Cancer Research UK estimates about seven in 10 women with changes in these …
