Approximately 50% of late-stage breast cancer patients classified as HER2-negative may be HER2-low and suitable for the therapy.
Enhertu is an antibody-chemotherapy combination delivered intravenously. It locates and inhibits the HER2 protein on cancer cells, releasing a potent cancer-killing chemical. It’s part of a new family of drugs known as antibody-drug conjugates.
Experts say it’s now crucial to define the HER2 gray area so that the proper people get the treatment and are closely monitored.
The drug costs around $14,000 per month and has serious side effects. Three of the study’s participants died of lung disease, a recognized side effect. Doctors must ensure that patients report respiratory issues as soon as possible so that the drug can be stopped and the patients are treated with steroids.
On Sunday, the American Society of Clinical Oncology presented its findings during its annual meeting in Chicago and published them in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Daiichi Sankyo of Tokyo and AstraZeneca of the United Kingdom funded and developed the drug together.
“A lot of people, including a lot of patients, will not have heard of HER2-low breast cancer before,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Shanu Modi.
“We finally have a HER2-targeted drug that for the first time can target that low level of HER2 expression,” Modi said. “This drug actually helps to define HER2-low breast cancer. It makes it, for the first time, a targetable population.”
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