Early Report from San Antonio

By Christine Benjamin

From Mets Matters Blog

I was invited by Novartis Oncology, creator of Femara and other drugs to treat breast cancer, to participate on an advisory board with other patient advocates at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The goal of the board was threefold. Novartis wanted to "seek advice about the unique needs and perspective of breast cancer patients with metastatic disease, understand the problem of treatment non-adherence and treatment barriers and seek advice on appropriate approaches, resources and materials and to seek advice on the need for a global survey of patients with metastatic breast cancer to raise awareness of their specific needs."

Several European countries were represented along with South American countries and the US. Most of the nearly five hour meeting was spent hearing each and every attendee discuss the needs of breast cancer patients with metastatic disease, available resources, barriers to treatment, emotional and psycho-social needs, caregiver needs, how to provide information, doctor/patient communication issues, treatment adherence challenges or why don't people take their medication and what can Novartis do to reach this population.  

During the discussion about why people don't take their medication, it was dismaying to learn that some countries cannot address the issue because they do not have drugs to take or not take.  The drugs that treat breast cancer are just not available.  There is no global standardization for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. There is no national standard for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. It varies from state to state, hospital to hospital and doctor to doctor. Studies show that when it comes to treatment adherence, patients who have a positive relationship with their doctors show improved adherence. Whether or not this leads to better outcomes is not known.  

Novartis is scheduled to announce "big" news today. Novartis employees would not disclose any information or perhaps they did not know. The speculation is a drug that is currently on the market for something other than breast cancer treatment but is showing promise in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. I will report more about this as soon as I get more information.

Posted December 7, 2011.