It’s a recently approved drug.
A newly approved targeted chemotherapy drug, Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), has shown promising results in extending the lives of patients with advanced breast cancer that has spread to the brain. According to findings from a recent clinical trial published on October 4 in Nature Medicine, patients treated with Enhertu survived an average of over 17 months without experiencing cancer progression.
The study revealed that more than 60% of the patients were able to avoid further tumor growth for at least 12 months. Notably, among those with brain tumors, over 70% experienced a reduction in tumor size, and an impressive 90% remained alive one year after starting the treatment. These outcomes provide hope for individuals facing brain metastases, a particularly challenging complication of breast cancer.
Enhertu received FDA approval in April for treating advanced HER2-positive cancers. HER2 is a protein that can stimulate the growth and spread of breast cancer, and it is present in about 20% of all breast cancer cases. The drug combines trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody that specifically targets HER2 proteins on cancer cells, with deruxtecan, a chemotherapy agent designed to enter and destroy these cells.
For the clinical trial, researchers enrolled more than 500 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, including 263 whose cancer had metastasized to the brain. The study involved collaboration among 78 cancer centers worldwide and was sponsored by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, the pharmaceutical companies that developed Enhertu.
Overall, the trial results highlight the potential of Enhertu as an effective treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancer and brain tumors, offering new hope for improved survival rates and quality of life.
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