Trastuzumab derukstekan will be reimbursed. Patients with HER2+ breast cancer have been waiting for it

Efforts to include trastuzumab derukstekan in reimbursement had been underway for some time. Negotiations with the manufacturer have already been finalized in recent weeks, the Health Minister said. The drug is recommended for use in women with HER2+ breast cancer.

- Oncologists like to treat contemporaries. At this point, practically the last barrier in the modern treatment of breast cancer is buried by access to modern, high-activity therapy in patients with advanced cancer," said Professor Lucjan Wyrwicz, head of the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy at the National Cancer Institute in Warsaw.

Recall, already at the end of last year, at a congress in San Antonio, the results of a study were presented, which showed that the drug doubles the time of overall survival in patients who received it as a second-line treatment.

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The Health Ministry will also increase access to preventive programs. In the case of mammograms, women between the ages of 45 and 74 will be able to register for examinations starting in November, instead of between 50 and 69 as before.

- Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. Among cancers, this cancer accounts for about 23 percent of all cases and causes nearly 14 percent of deaths. Cervical cancer, on the other hand, is classified as the 7th malignant cancer. These figures indicate that we need to introduce and expand prevention programs. This is a simple, non-invasive and effective way of early detection of cancer, which significantly improves the prognosis," said Katarzyna Sójka.