Doctors believe that Tykerb, a new drug made by the UK firm GlaxoSmithKline, could be even more effective than the older drug Herceptin in extending the lives of thousands of women with advanced breast cancer.

The new drug not only targets a protein that stimulates the growth of breast cancers, it also stalls the spread of the disease.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology congress in Atlanta heard yesterday how Tykerb had prolonged the lives of women with advanced breast cancer from four to eight months. Delegates were told that women taking Tykerb were twice as likely to survive as those receiving chemotherapy.

Leading cancer specialists described the drug as a breakthrough in fighting breast cancer.

Source: Xinhua