According to the outcome of a large study of cancer drug Avastin, adding it to the chemotherapy really slows tumor growth. It wasfurther investigated which dosage is the most efficient.

The investigation was conducted by Swiss drug firm Roche AG, which sells Avastin in Europe. It was the second clinical trial which had the purpose of proving Avastin’s efficiency in breast cancer. The study was financially supported by Roche and its outcome was released on Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting. It involved 736 patients.

Specialists have reached conclusions after they followed three steps in the research. Firstly, patients received Avastin at 15 milligrams per kilogram. A lower dose of 7.5 milligrams per kilogram was given to another group of patients. And there were also subjects who received a placebo along with chemotherapy, docetaxel. After eleven months, patients getting the highest dose of Avastin were 28% less likely to suffer a worsening of their condition, in comparison with those who only got chemotherapy. Tumor was 21% less likely to grow in subjects from the second phase of the study, than those given the placebo along with chemotherapy. Moreover, tumors drew back in 63,1% of persons on high-dose Avastin, 55,2% of those on low-dose and 44,4% in people treated with the combination of placebo and chemotherapy.

The clinical trial presented involves treatment with another taxane chemotherapy agent, docetaxel, sold in Europe, Asia and Australia under the brand name Taxotere. U.S. oncologists usually use paclitaxel, or Taxol.