Drug that stops metastatic breast cancer also works in previous stages

The breakthrough drug trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), an antibody chemotherapy that releases the drug inside the cancer cell and considered by some oncologists to be the most active drug against breast cancer to date, has proven effective against new stages of the disease. . The DESTINY-6 study found that the so-called “Trojan horse” was more effective than conventional chemotherapy in patients with metastatic hormonal breast cancer, especially those with hormone receptor positive (RH+) and low HER2 protein levels, who had been previously treated. with endocrine therapy, but not with chemotherapy.

The study, conducted by the Institute of Oncology at Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, could change clinical practice. The study included 866 patients, and patients treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan experienced a 38% reduction in the risk of progression compared to patients treated with traditional chemotherapy. In addition, median progression-free survival (time from start of treatment to tumor regrowth) was 13.2 months in the group receiving conjugated antibodies, compared with 8.1 months in the other groups.

“These results are particularly relevant as they suggest that T-DXd treatment directed against the HER2 protein, even at very low levels, may provide a therapeutic advantage over traditional chemotherapy for these patients,” explains Cristina Saura, head of the department. Breast cancer Val d’Hebron and co-author of the study. Breast cancer, celebrated today as World Day, is the most common cancer in the world. It is estimated that more than 36,000 new cases will be diagnosed in Spain this year.

Survival rate exceeds 85% at 5 years.

“Breast cancer currently has a 5-year net survival rate of 85.5%, which is one of the tumors with the highest survival rate today,” said yesterday the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Pontevedra, which treated 402 last year patient and 122 family members. in the province.

The Spanish Cancer Association of Pontevedra recalled yesterday that 761 women were diagnosed in the province in 2023 and it is estimated that 774 new cases of this type of cancer will be diagnosed this year.

In Spain, 35,312 women were diagnosed with breast cancer last year, according to the Cancer Observatory of the Spanish Cancer Association.