Goa Medical College starts using pertuzumab for breast cancer; patients to get drug for free

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.

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