There may be a promising new treatment on the horizon for advanced breast cancer patients, according to developing research.Researchers are studying the cancer-killing drug trastuzmab rezetecan for those with ERBB2-low metastatic breast cancer, whose tumors have low levels of HER2, a protein that can help cancer cells grow.A phase 3 clinical trial called HORIZON-Breast06 sought to determine whether the drug works better than standard chemotherapy for patients with this cancer type.SHIFT IN CANCER SCREENING GUIDANCE HAS EXPERTS CLASHING OVER NEW GUIDANCEThe researchers analyzed 551 female patients across 73 hospitals in China who were randomly assigned to receive either the drug intravenously every three weeks, or the physician’s choice of chemotherapy.The study period lasted from June 2023 to August 2025.The median time without tumor growth on the drug was 16.4 months compared to 6.8 months with chemo.
(iStock)The drug significantly delayed cancer progression compared with chemotherapy, giving patients more than a year before their cancer began growing again.The median time without tumor growth was 16.4 months compared to 6.8 months with chemo.FDA APPROVES ONCE-DAILY PILL FOR DEADLY CANCER AFTER PATIENTS' SURVIVAL RATES NEARLY DOUBLEPatients who received trastuzumab rezetecan were 73% less likely to have their cancer worsen or die during the study than patients who received chemotherapy.The drug appeared to delay cancer progression in patients with both hormone receptor-positive and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.The results were published in JAMA.The drug appeared to delay cancer progression in patients with both hormone receptor-positive and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.(iStock)Tumors shrank in 75.5% of patients who received the drug, compared with 41.2% of those who received chemotherapy.At the 12-month mark, 90.6% of trastuzmab rezetecan patients were alive, compared to 81.4% of chemo patients.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETT...