Khaberni - The treatment of advanced breast cancer is witnessing rapid development with the emergence of targeted drugs that specifically target mechanisms within cancer cells, which opens new prospects for extending the periods of disease control and improving the quality of life of patients, especially in advanced stages that require long-term therapeutic strategies.
Results from an advanced stage of a recent clinical trial revealed that Pfizer's "Tukysa" drug demonstrated significant ability to delay the progression of breast cancer in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types in its advanced stages.
According to "Al Arabiya Net", the drug, scientifically known as tucatinib, belongs to the class of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which disrupt the activity of the HER2 protein within cancer cells, contributing to slowing tumor growth or limiting its spread. The drug had previously received approval for treating certain cases of colorectal cancer and breast cancer in its later stages.
The study included 654 patients with stage four breast cancer, who initially underwent chemotherapy along with immunotherapy using the drugs Herceptin and Perjeta. After stabilizing the condition and no further disease progression, the patients moved on to the maintenance phase, where they were randomly assigned to receive either Tukysa or a placebo alongside the primary treatment.
During a follow-up period that lasted for about 23 months on average, the results showed that the patients who received Tukysa maintained stability of the disease for a longer period compared to the other group, with a noticeable improvement in the duration of cancer control.
The data, presented during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and published in the journal "Clinical Oncology", indicated that adding Tukysa to the maintenance treatment contributed to extending the disease-free progression period by about eight months.
Chief researcher Erica Hamilton, Professor at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, asserted that the results highlight the importance of enhancing targeting of the HER2 protein during the maintenance phase, noting that this approach allows patients to continue resisting the disease while reducing the need to return to chemotherapy for longer periods.
