Drug could offer earliest option in breast cancer fight

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a positive review of a breast cancer drug from Roche that may soon be the first pharmaceutical option approved for treating early- stage disease before surgery.

FDA scientists said women who received the drug Perjeta as initial treatment for breast cancer were more likely to be cancer-free at the time of surgery than women who received older drug combinations.

Although the results come from mid-stage trials of the drug, FDA scientists recommended accelerating approval of the drug.