Every October, the world turns pink. We wear ribbons, organize breast-screening exercises, share survivor stories and remind women about the importance of early detection. While these activities remain essential, there is another encouraging story worth sharing this Breast Cancer Awareness Month: the remarkable progress being made in breast cancer treatment. For decades, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been the main approaches to treating breast cancer. Although these treatments continue to save lives, scientists are developing newer medicines that attack cancer more precisely, offering additional treatment options and renewed hope for patients.
One important discovery is that breast cancer is not the same in every patient. Two women may have breast cancer, yet their tumours may behave differently and respond to different medicines. Some cancers depend on hormones to grow, while others produce substances that encourage rapid growth. Understanding these differences allows doctors to select treatments that are more suitable for each patient rather than treating every breast cancer in the same way.
Moving Beyond Traditional Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy remains an important cancer treatment, but it can also affect healthy cells, causing side effects such as hair loss, nausea and fatigue. Newer treatments aim to attack cancer more selectively. For instance, hormone therapies interfere with the hormones that some breast cancers need to grow. Other medicines, such as trastuzumab, commonly known as Herceptin, target a substance called HER2, which encourages the growth of certain breast cancers. Scientists are also developing medicines to overcome treatment resistance, which occurs when cancer cells adapt and previously effective treatments stop working. These advances are making breast cancer treatment increasingly personalized.
Another breakthrough involves medicines known as antibody-drug conjugates. Think of them as a delivery service that recognizes a specific address. Scientists attach a powerful cancer-killing drug to a substance that recognizes certain cancer cells, helping deliver the medicine more directly to the tumour. One example is trastuzumab deruxtecan, which has expanded treatment options for some patients whose cancers have relatively low levels of HER2. Although these medicines can still cause side effects, they offer another way of attacking cancer more precisely.
Scientists are also exploring ways to help the body's natural defences fight cancer through a treatment called immunotherapy. Cancer cells can sometimes hide from the immune system, preventing it from recognizing and destroying them. Certain immunotherapy medicines help the immune system identify and attack these cells. This approach has become particularly useful for selected patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a form of the disease that lacks some of the usual treatment targets.
A Historic Breakthrough: Medicines That Remove Harmful Proteins
One of the most remarkable developments occurred on May 1, 2026, when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vepdegestrant, marketed as Veppanu, for certain patients with advanced breast cancer. Developed by Arvinas in partnership with Pfizer, it became the first FDA-approved medicine from a new class known as PROTACs.
What makes this treatment different? Imagine a faulty machine inside a factory. A conventional medicine may stop the machine from working, but the machine remains in place. A PROTAC takes a different approach: it helps the factory identify the faulty machine, remove it and send it for disposal. Similarly, our cells have a natural cleaning system that removes unwanted proteins. PROTAC medicines use this system to remove specific proteins that contribute to disease.
Vepdegestrant works by removing the estrogen receptor, which certain breast cancers depend on for growth. Its approval represents an important milestone because scientists can now use an approved medicine designed to remove a disease-driving protein rather than simply block its activity. Although vepdegestrant is approved only for a specific group of patients, researchers are investigating whether similar medicines could be developed for other cancers and diseases.
Another promising development involves blood tests that can detect tiny fragments of cancer DNA circulating in the bloodstream. These tests, sometimes called liquid biopsies, may help doctors identify changes in a patient's cancer and determine whether treatment is becoming less effective. This could allow doctors to adjust treatment according to how the cancer evolves.
What Does This Mean for Ghana?
These developments are encouraging, but an important question remains: will Ghanaian women have access to them? According to international cancer estimates, Ghana recorded approximately 5,026 new breast cancer cases in 2022, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Ghanaian women. Unfortunately, many advanced treatments depend on specialized tests that determine the particular type of breast cancer a patient has. When these tests are unavailable or unaffordable, patients may miss opportunities to receive the most appropriate treatment.
Ghana must therefore strengthen its cancer care system by investing in diagnostic laboratories, training more specialists, improving access to essential tests and making treatment more affordable. Partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, stronger health insurance coverage and greater participation in international cancer research could also help bring these advances closer to Ghanaian patients.
Beyond the Pink Ribbon
Despite these remarkable advances, early detection remains one of our strongest weapons against breast cancer. Women should seek medical attention when they notice unusual breast changes, including lumps, changes in breast shape, skin changes or unusual nipple discharge. Breast Cancer Awareness Month must therefore go beyond wearing pink ribbons and organizing screening exercises. It should also encourage conversations about new treatments, improved healthcare and equal access to medical advances.
As we mark this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let us remember that scientific progress is meaningful only when patients can benefit from it. The future of breast cancer treatment is promising, but our collective responsibility is to ensure that Ghanaian women are not left behind.
About the Author
Dr. Dickson Aboagye is a pharmacist and PhD researcher in Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the University of Toledo, USA. His research focuses on cancer drug discovery, targeted therapies and innovative approaches to developing new medicines.
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