What exactly is tucatinib/tucatinib?

Tucatinib/Tucatinib (Tucatinib) is a small molecule oral targeted drug specifically used to treat patients with HER2-positive advanced or metastatic cancer. It is a HER2-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by blocking abnormal signaling of HER2 receptors, thereby improving patients' disease control and quality of life. Compared with traditional chemotherapy or non-selective targeted drugs, the advantage of tucatinib is that it acts highly selectively on HER2 subtypes and reduces the inhibition of other receptors, thus reducing the incidence of non-specific side effects.

In the field of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), tucatinib is used in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine and is approved for the treatment of patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, including patients with brain metastases. These patients usually have received first-line or multiple lines of anti-HER2 treatment regimens, but their disease still progresses. By strengthening the inhibition of HER2 signaling, tucatinib works synergistically with anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy drugs to improve the treatment response rate and prolong progression-free survival, providing a new treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancer.

In addition, tucatinib is also approved for patients with unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). These patients typically harbor RAS wild-type, HER2-positive tumors that have progressed following fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy. When used in combination with trastuzumab, tucatinib can accurately target HER2-positive cancer cells, thereby enhancing the therapeutic effect and providing a new path for targeted therapy for colorectal cancer patients.

In general, tucatinib is a highly selective targeted drug targeting HER2 abnormalities and has shown significant efficacy in the treatment of advanced or metastatic breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Its precise mechanism, synergy with anti-HER2 drugs and adaptability to patients with brain metastases make it an important treatment option for HER2-positive patients.

Reference materials:https://www.tukysa.com/