TUESDAY, Aug. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A new approach to treating metastatic breast cancer may allow some patients to avoid chemotherapy, at least initially.
In a small early-stage trial recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers tested four chemo-free targeted therapies in 29 patients with HR-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
The regimen combines hormone therapy with medicines (anastrozole, palbociclib, trastuzumab and pertuzumab) that target two key pathways that drive tumor growth.
During the first six months, 97% of participants experienced clinical benefit, according to the results.
Patients went a median of nearly 25 months before their cancer progressed. That means half progressed sooner, half later.
And after about 39 months of follow-up, nearly 93% of patients were still alive.
Researchers said several women have had long-lasting responses, including one who has remained on the therapy for more than six years.
This medication combo is given primarily through pills and injections under the skin, potentially making treatment easier for patients and avoiding some of the drawbacks of chemotherapy.
“Although these findings need to be confirmed in larger randomized clinical trials, they suggest that some patients may eventually have an effective alternative to chemotherapy as their first treatment,” senior author Dr. Amy Tiersten said. She’s clinical director of Breast Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
More information
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has more on metastatic breast cancer.
SOURCE: HealthDay TV, Aug. 25, 2026
