A newer drug helped one lung cancer patient with brain spread
Original title: Case Report: Dramatic response of trastuzumab rezetecan in an NSCLC patient with EGFR sensitive mutation and primary ERBB2 genetic alterations.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was a report on one patient, not a study that tested the drug in a group of people.
The short version
In a single patient, a newer drug shrank lung tumors and cleared tumors in the brain on scans.
What was studied. Doctors wrote up a report about a single patient with advanced lung cancer. The cancer had spread to the brain and carried changes in two genes, EGFR and ERBB2.
What they found. The cancer kept growing after several earlier treatments, including osimertinib and chemotherapy. The doctors then gave a drug called trastuzumab rezetecan on its own. After four cycles, the lung tumors got smaller. The tumors in the brain were no longer seen on scans.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: For patients whose tumors have both of these gene changes, this drug may be worth asking about. It is one patient's story, so it only hints at what might help. A doctor would need to check if the same gene changes are present.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the drug works for most people. It is a report on a single patient, not a trial. One patient's result cannot show how safe or helpful a drug is. It is not a cure, and it is not proof that this should be standard care.
Source: PubMed, September 16, 2026 · Read the original
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