Goa Medical College starts using pertuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer patients

Panaji: The Goa Medical College (GMC) on Sunday started using pertuzumab, a modern drug, expanding its treatment protocol for a subset of breast cancer patients, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said.

The initiative was launched on World Cancer Day, which is observed on February 4 every year to raise awareness of the disease and encourage its prevention, detection and treatment.

He said the medicine will be used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer patients, who test positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and they will get it for free. 

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This protein promotes the growth of cancer cells. In about one of every five breast cancer cases, the cancer cells have extra copies of the gene that makes the HER2 protein, he said. 

“Recognizing the evolving landscape of cancer therapeutics, the medical community at GMC has now incorporated pertuzumab, a second antibody, into the treatment regimen,” Rane told reporters.

He said GMC has been providing care to HER2-positive breast cancer patients, using the antibody trastuzumab in conjunction with chemotherapy.

He said the pertuzumab-trastuzumab fixed drug combination represents a significant advancement in cancer care. 

The drug has been introduced by Roche healthcare under the brand name Phesgo, Rane said. He said that the drug will be provided free to eligible patients at GMC, by the state govt.

The state has screened one lakh women over the past two years for breast cancer using the non-invasive and radiation-free iBreast exam, of which 52 were detected with cancer. Now, the state has set a target to scan 1.5 lakh more women over the next one and a half year.

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