This is a remarkable finding out of Amsterdam. This study, which also took place at NHS hospitals in Manchester, showed that in 11% of the cases the tumors had disappeared entirely, and in 17% of the patients the tumors had shrunk to less than 5mm. How did they do it? The researchers combined two drugs, Herceptin and Tyverb and gave them to the patients before the usual treatments of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation.
While the effects of the treatment are still being studied, the current theory is that this combination of drugs may have blocked the cancer cells from multiplying, which killed them off, and initiated the patients' immune system response. This treatment is still experimental, but it could spare millions of people from the terrible ordeal of chemotherapy.
For more information, read this article from the BBC http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35775314