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Health
Targeted Drugs Offer New Hope for Stage‑4 HER‑2 Positive Breast Cancer at AIIMS
✍️ Amar Ujala · Sagar
🗓 06 Sep 2026, 02:06 PM
👁 30
Advanced therapies such as trastuzumab deruxtecan, pertuzumab and tucatinib are expanding treatment options for patients with metastatic HER‑2 positive breast cancer, doctors at AIIMS say.
Delhi, — Oncologists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said that the therapeutic landscape for stage‑4 HER‑2 positive breast cancer has widened with the introduction of newer targeted agents. Drugs such as trastuzumab deruxtecan, pertuzumab and tucatinib are now being used to control disease spread in patients whose cancer has metastasized.
These agents work by specifically attacking the HER‑2 protein that drives tumor growth, thereby improving response rates compared with conventional chemotherapy alone. Clinical experience at AIIMS indicates that patients receiving the combination of these drugs show better disease stabilization and, in some cases, tumor shrinkage.
Doctors emphasized that early identification of HER‑2 status remains crucial, as it determines eligibility for these targeted therapies. While the treatments are not curative, they offer a significant extension of survival and quality of life for many patients facing advanced disease.
The institute continues to monitor outcomes and collaborate with pharmaceutical partners to make these high‑cost medicines more accessible across the country.
These agents work by specifically attacking the HER‑2 protein that drives tumor growth, thereby improving response rates compared with conventional chemotherapy alone. Clinical experience at AIIMS indicates that patients receiving the combination of these drugs show better disease stabilization and, in some cases, tumor shrinkage.
Doctors emphasized that early identification of HER‑2 status remains crucial, as it determines eligibility for these targeted therapies. While the treatments are not curative, they offer a significant extension of survival and quality of life for many patients facing advanced disease.
The institute continues to monitor outcomes and collaborate with pharmaceutical partners to make these high‑cost medicines more accessible across the country.