Elche Hospital Explores Alternatives to Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Treatment

Although chemotherapy is one of the main allies in the fight against cancer, it is also a highly invasive treatment, as it attacks not only cancerous cells but also healthy ones. This is why advancements in alternative treatments are always welcomed as good news by the medical community.

The Oncology Service at Elche General University Hospital has just announced progress in this area, as its team is participating in research for a treatment that avoids chemotherapy in pre-treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

The hospital has been developing the study for four years alongside 12 other hospitals, oncology centres, and research institutes in Spain, Canada, and the United States, according to a statement from the Generalitat.

The research, recently published in the scientific journal 'Lancet Oncology', has focused on developing an innovative bispecific antibody called Zanidatamab, which has proven to be "especially effective" in patients who have already undergone multiple lines of treatment for their metastatic cancer.

The head of the Medical Oncology Service at Elche General University Hospital and co-author of the published article, Dr Álvaro Rodríguez Lescute, stated that "the trial scheme combines the monoclonal antibody Zanidatamab with hormone therapy and palbociclib (a cyclin inhibitor)."

“This scheme, without chemotherapy, presents good tolerability and offers these poor prognosis patients an improvement in survival and disease control,” he added.

HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is a type of cancer that overexpresses the HER2 protein in tumour cells. This overexpression defines a type of cancer with more proliferation and spreading capability.

On the other hand, the monoclonal antibody Zanidatamab is an artificial protein created in the laboratory that binds to the HER2 protein at two different sites and blocks this tumour growth pathway with a higher rate of tumour cell destruction.

This antibody has been combined with hormone therapy, which blocks the hormonal pathways used by cancer and slows tumour growth, and with palbociclib, a drug that helps interrupt the process by which breast cancer cells multiply. The combination has proven effective by offering a chemotherapy-free alternative for treating this patient profile.

“The combination is well tolerated by patients and has shown a notable improvement in survival and disease control, providing another option for patients with HER2+ metastatic cancer and positive estrogen receptors who have been heavily pre-treated for their metastases,” he highlighted.

The study of the treatment with Zanidatamab included 51 patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, most of whom had previously received up to four lines of treatment, including agents targeting HER2.

What distinguishes this treatment is that, unlike traditional regimens, it does not require the use of chemotherapy, proving to be "effective" in slowing cancer progression and controlling the disease, without the typical side effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss, neurotoxicity, vomiting, or extreme fatigue.

The specialist emphasized that "this advancement is a clear example of how research and international collaboration can generate new treatments that improve patients' lives." "These results also highlight the potential of treatment regimens without chemotherapy with therapies targeting tumour biology, which could become a viable, more effective, and more tolerable option for patients who have exhausted other alternatives," he continued.

“The participation of Elche General Hospital in international clinical studies like this reflects our commitment to innovation in cancer treatment. We not only seek effective treatments but also aim to improve our patients' quality of life during the therapeutic process,” he concluded.