Among the other major advances recognized by American Society of Clinical Oncology (American Society of Clinical Oncology) in 2005:

• The drug Herceptin was found to reduce the recurrence of HER-2-positive early-stage breast cancer by half when added to standard chemotherapy; the risk of death was cut by one-third compared with standard chemotherapy alone.
• Chemotherapy after surgery was found to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence. The drug oxaliplatin cut recurrence risk by up to 24 per cent.
• A large trial showed the drug Avastin - which starves tumours of the blood supply they need to grow - in combination with chemotherapy can significantly extend survival in patients with advanced lung cancer
• Avastin was also found to significantly improve survival for advanced colorectal cancer when used in conjunction with standard chemotherapy.
• Two different vaccines were effective at preventing 90 to 100 per cent of infections with human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus linked to cervical cancer.
• Canadian researchers found that people with an early form of the most common type of lung cancer lived longer if they were treated with chemotherapy after surgery to remove their tumor.

“This report demonstrates the important progress being made in all areas of clinical cancer research,” society president Dr. Sandra Horning said in a release Friday. “The message is one of hope - the advances identified by this report underscore the essential role of cancer research in finding solutions for a disease” that strikes millions of people each year.

Based on reports by SHERYL UBELACKER in Macleans and Cnews