"Smart" drugs are replacing traditional chemotherapy

Israeli scientists have made a real breakthrough in breast oncology by presenting a series of innovative targeted drugs at the prestigious ESMO 2025 conference in Berlin, radically changing the approach to treating metastatic and hormone-sensitive forms of the disease. These drugs not only suppress the tumour but also specifically target the molecular mechanisms of cancer, preserving healthy tissues and significantly improving the quality of life for patients.

The main discovery was the drug Datroway® – an innovative agent developed specifically for patients whose tumours have stopped responding to standard hormonal therapy. Clinical data presented at ESMO demonstrate a 47% increase in median progression-free survival compared to traditional regimens. This is especially important for women with HER2-negative but hormone receptor-positive cancer, who previously had extremely limited treatment options after developing resistance.

For the most aggressive form – triple-negative breast cancer – Israeli specialists highlighted Trodelvy® (sacituzumab govitecan). This antibody-drug conjugate has already passed phase III and showed impressive results: the objective response reached 35%, and the median overall survival increased by 5.4 months compared to chemotherapy. Importantly, Trodelvy® selectively delivers the cytotoxic agent directly to cancer cells, minimizing toxicity to the bone marrow, liver, and nervous system.

In the early stages of the disease, Israeli oncologists are focusing on Verzenio® (abemaciclib) – a CDK4/6 inhibitor, which has already been officially recognized as the new global standard for adjuvant therapy. The drug reduces the risk of recurrence by 32% in patients at high risk with positive lymph nodes. The uniqueness is that Verzenio® is already included in the basket of medications in Israel, meaning it is available to all insured women without additional co-payments. This is a rare case where innovation becomes part of the national healthcare system within months of data publication.

Particular attention at the conference was drawn to the experimental drug Giredestrant from Roche, which Israeli researchers are testing in combination with endocrine therapy. According to preliminary phase II data, in patients with mutations in the ESR1 gene (the main cause of resistance to tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors), Giredestrant demonstrates a response in 62% of cases. This opens the way to overcoming one of the most challenging barriers in treating hormone-dependent cancer.

Dr. Ayelet Shai, director of the Breast Oncology Institute at Rambam Medical Center and lead author of the presentation at ESMO, shared her vision:

"These drugs represent a real shift towards personalized therapy. They directly target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues. This allows patients to live longer with a higher quality of life. We are no longer talking about 'extending life by months' – we are talking about years of active, fulfilling life."

She continued:

"These innovative drugs represent a new era of precision medicine in oncology. However, to make them available to all patients, the Israeli healthcare budget must expand to keep pace with rapid progress in the world. We cannot afford to fall behind – every woman deserves a chance for a cure."

From diagnosis to recovery: the ecosystem of technologies

But pharmacology is just part of Israel's contribution. A whole ecosystem of technologies for early detection and minimally invasive treatment is also developing.

• SpotitEarly – a startup from Tel Aviv using a combination of specially trained dogs' sense of smell and artificial intelligence. The dogs detect volatile organic compounds in exhaled air with 94% accuracy, and AI confirms the diagnosis in 3 minutes. The technology has already been implemented in several clinics in Israel as a screening tool for women at high risk.
• IceCure Medical offers revolutionary cryoablation – freezing tumours with liquid nitrogen through a thin needle under ultrasound guidance. The procedure takes 20 minutes, is performed on an outpatient basis, requires no general anesthesia, and leaves only a tiny puncture. Clinical trials have shown 100% survival without recurrence over 5 years in patients with tumours up to 1.5 cm.
• Feminai – a home device for monthly self-examination using thermal sensors and machine learning. The app analyzes changes in tissue temperature and alerts about suspicious areas weeks before lumps appear. The diagnostic accuracy is 89%, which is higher than traditional mammography in early stages.
• Vayyar Imaging has developed a portable radar scanner that sees through tissues without ionizing radiation. The device, the size of a smartphone, allows screening in any clinic, including mobile teams in peripheral areas.
• EZbra – this is not treatment, but care after surgery. Special postoperative clothing with built-in drainage systems, swelling sensors, and the ability for remote monitoring by a doctor. Patients are discharged 2-3 days earlier, and the risk of infections is reduced by 70%.

All these technologies are united in the national program Breast Health Israel 2030, which aims to reduce breast cancer mortality by 50% through early diagnosis and personalized treatment. The program is already funded by the Ministry of Health and the Clalit health fund, with the first results expected in 2026.

Israel, despite its modest size, continues to be a global leader in oncology. If the country was previously associated with cybersecurity and agritech, it is now increasingly linked with breakthroughs that literally save lives. And while the world discusses AI in diagnostics, Israeli doctors are already using it to treat cancer.