How a breast cancer treatment trial changed the lives of Australian women
Donna Rullo, an early participant in a 2001 clinical trial for the drug trastuzumab, shares how the treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer saved her life. The trial, which involved 5,000 patients globally, significantly improved survival rates for this aggressive cancer type.
Why it matters
Clinical trials are essential for medical breakthroughs, and personal accounts highlight the human impact of long-term cancer research.
Donna Rullo was one of the first people in Australia to access trastuzumab through a clinical trial in 2001. ( Supplied: Donna Rullo )
Link copied Share Share article Donna Rullo wasn't going down without a fight.
It was early 2001, and then-40-year-old Ms Rullo had just been diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer.
Up to one in five cases of breast cancer are HER2-positive, which means the cancer cells have higher than normal levels of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) protein, promoting growth of the cancer itself.
It's an aggressive and fast-growing cancer, but typically responds well to targeted treatments.
When Ms Rullo was diagnosed, targeted treatments weren't an option in Australia.
But 25 years ago, she took a leap of faith and joined a drug trial that changed the course of her life, and that of countless women after her.
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