For women with faced with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer trastuzumab emtansine, commonly referred to as T-DM1, will offer a very important therapeutic option.

The drug, trastuzumab emtansine, commonly referred to as T-DM1, appears to be superior to the standard treatment for women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. Researchers are presenting the results of a large three-year clinical trial Sunday at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

This two pronged approach to treating cancer offers an effective result with fewer side affects than traditional treatments.

Because the drug is delivered directly to the cancer and not into the blood stream the immune system has the opportunity to help fight the cancer.