Could this be the end of chemotherapy? New leukaemia drug boosts survival rate to 90% and could eventually replace invasive chemical treatment

• Ibrutinib drug trial showed better rates of survival than chemotherapy
• Patients in Australia could have access to Ibrutinib within a year
• Trial showed higher rate of people entered remission than chemotherapy
• Breakthrough alternative for people with resistance to chemotherapy

A breakthrough international trial of a new cancer drug has given researchers renewed hope in the fight against leukaemia, with one Australian doctor suggesting it could end traditional chemotherapy treatments for good.

The results of a trial on 391 patients showed the drug Ibrutinib gave patients fighting a type of slow growing blood cancer called Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) a 90 per cent chance of survival, eight higher than the 81 per cent who survive on chemotherapy treatment.

What's more, the drug is less invasive than traditional forms of radiation, and is an alternative for patients whose cancer cells have built up a resistance to chemotherapy. Results from the trial also showed that four out of every 10 patients entered remission within a year, compared to four in 100 on a traditional course of radiation.

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ibrutinib works by killing cells in Chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients and could be the perfect alternative to traditional chemotherapy treatments

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2647973/Could-end-chemotherapy-New-leukemia-drug-boosts-survival-rate-90-eventually-replace-invasive-chemical-treatment.html